The Tails of Fairies
by Shadow Storyteller
Summary: All the stories inside are prompts from Fariy Blitz. Some will be drabbles, some will have pairings. Others...not so much. Was updated daily.
1. Midsummer Day's Illusion

**All these are prompts from Fariy Blitz going on at deviantART. Some will be drabbles, some pairings. Others...not so much. I'll put if there is a pairing, so if none is mentioned at the beginning, there isn't one.  
**

**Disclaimer: If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.**

**DATE : June 20  
THEME : Action  
SETTING : Amusement Park  
CHARACTERS: Natsu & Gajeel  
PROMPT : Crush and/or Solstice**

+…+

"Dodge, you idiot!"

"I wouldn't have to dodge if this character could fight!"

"Then pick a better character!"

"_You're_ the one that picked it!"

"Blue side wins," taunts the robotic voice, pausing the bickering of Natsu and Gajeel for only a moment.

"See what you did?" growls Gajeel, eyes narrowing in annoyance. He bumps the shorter boy away and grabs the joystick. "Give me the controls! I can get us to the next level."

Natsu makes a skeptical sound in the back of his throat and makes a grab for it. "Yeah right! Let me have it!"

Lucy sighs as she watches her 'team' for today literally tear apart the fighting arcade game they're playing. The poor machine's joystick groans in pain as the two dragon slayers yank it between themselves, completely forgetting the fight taking place on the screen.

'Really, we're at an amusement park!' she thinks with a sigh, taking a bite of her blue cotton candy. 'I know Natsu gets motion sick and all, but still!' Her brown eyes scan around the crowded park, looking around for, of all things, fairies.

"Game over. You lose," informs the game.

Natsu and Gajeel glare at each other, both fishing around in their pockets for coins to play again. They look at their empty palms forlornly. "Hey Luce~!" Natsu starts in a sing-song voice, holding his hands out for coins as he approaches.

"No," the blonde says curtly, finishing off her food and throwing the bag away.

"Can we get some funnel cake?" Natsu asks eagerly.

"No!" Lucy rubs the bridge of her nose. "We're not here to have fun, we're here to look for fairies to see if they have tails." She gives a pointed look to Happy as he heads for the ferris wheel.

The blue cat sighs and flies back. "You're no fun, Lucy."

Gajeel growls. "This is such a stupid tradition. Why do we have to waste time looking for fairies? I could be out on a job." Natsu and Happy nod in agreement, Natsu turning out his empty pockets.

"It's the summer solstice. We can do a job any day, but this is the time to look for fairies." They give her a blank look. "Midsummer?" she tries. Still nothing. "You know, the period of time focused on the summer solstice? It's said that Midsummer is one of those days when magic is at its strongest."

"We're spending a day magic is the most powerful looking for fairies?" Gajeel demands, sounding offended. "There's nothing exciting looking for-

Fine," Lucy sighs, cutting him off wearily. "If you don't want to, go home. I'm going to keep looking." She turns on her heel and disappears into the park, Happy flying after her.

"Happy?" Natsu yells, a little put out.

The blue cat looks back apologetically. "I want to see fairies, Natsu. Won't it be cool?" When his friend doesn't move, Happy goes on ahead, weaving around people to catch up to Lucy.

The Dragon Slayers exchange looks before setting off, both thinking about the different requests on the board that could pay the most. It's not till they're literally knocked over that they notice the small ball of light hurtling towards them.

"Help!" a bright voice screams, diving into the salmon hair of Natsu. It crouches behind one of his stuck-up locks and making its light dim so no one can see it. "Make them stop!"

Natsu frantically swats at his hair, the pleas of the thing not really registering until Gajeel grabs his wrist keep him from squishing the light.

"What do you mean 'make them stop?'" Gajeel asks. He looks around, suddenly noticing there's no one else around them. There's not a speck of trash on the ground. None of the rides nearby are moving. The booths aren't open, and the smell of popcorn and other goodies is gone from the air.

"What's going on?" Natsu demands, yanking his hand out of Gajeel grip and fishing around in his hair for the light. "Who are you?"

Gajeel smirks in anticipation as a looming shadow of the figure appears on one of the booths ahead of them. It's shapeless- a blob, if you will- and neither can tell what exactly it is. Natsu stops picking at his hair and gets in position, bending his knees and letting fire come to life in his hands. Gajeel copies his motion, turning his arm into a sword.

They're not ready for what they see.

"A hedgehog?" Gajeel demands, completely abandoning his stance and letting his arm turn back. "A _hedgehog_!" he yells again like he can't believe it, throwing his arms up in annoyance. "I don't care how big it is! This is so-"

"Look out!" Natsu yells, pushing the Iron Dragon Slayer out of the way in time to avoid quills as thick as his arm from impaling him. He shoots a ball of fire at one of the quilla, just barely managing to incinerate it in time to not become a shish kabob. Both dive to the right as another volley comes at them. They creep around until they come to crouch behind a booth that sold funnel cake behind the hedgehog.

Gajeel peeks out from the corner, watching the ten foot animal look around for them with beady black eyes. He turns his arm into a sword and gets up on the balls of his feet, preparing to stab the thing. "Ready?" he asks Natsu.

"Mmf!" the fire mage assures, shoving the last of the funnel cake into his mouth, white sugar all over his checks.

"This is no time to eat!" Gajeel roars, successfully catching the attention of the massive hedgehog. The monster curls itself into a ball, every inch protected by spikes. Natsu and Gajeel jump up on the top of the booth, using that momentum to jump over to the booth next to them safely. The hedgehog manages to change direction and head for them. They barely manage to make it to the next roof over, the previous one they were on becoming crushed.

They continue traveling via roof, Natsu shooting fireballs and Gajeel attempting to hit it with his iron. It has no effect. Soon it's all they can do just to dodge. They don't notice they've been in a circle until they go to jump again, only to see all the booths are destroyed. They're back the funnel cake booth.

Nastu quickly comes up with a plan. "To the left, then hit it with everything you got!" Gajeel nods that he understands. Both tense in preparation to jump, waiting till the last possible moment to dodge to the side. They roll for all it's worth, coming up ready to.

Sugar bursts up in a cloud as the wood splitters from the quills as the booth is destroyed. Natsu sniffs in sadness as he watches the funnel cake flop to the ground. 'Those would've been so good.'

Dough and sugar sticks to the hedgehog now coated in white. It makes a high-pitched squeal of distress, stopping to uncurl and try to rub its face free of the blinding powder. Natsu and Gajeel spring into action at its moment of weakness, each landing a solid kick on its exposed belly. The hedgehog's eyes bug out before it explodes into the furious flutter of wings.

"Ow!" Gajeel slaps at his face he's bitten. Natsu ignites his hands and swats at the wings as his hair is pulled. "What the hell are these?"

"Pixies!" screams the airy voice in Natsu's hair, holding on for dear life. "Make them stop! Get rid of them!" it yells, squealing in pain as one of them gets a good swipe at it. Natsu winces as his hair is pulled out.

"How?" the dragon slayers scream, running aimlessly in an attempt to get out of the painful cloud of raging pixies. They smack into an invisible wall, almost breaking their noses with the force before falling back, dazed. The evil little beings take advantage of their disorientation to scratch and claw at every part of skin they can reach.

The light in Natsu's hair gasps. "They put up a barrier! You can't get out! You have to fight them!"

Natsu throws fire at them, but it as no effect whatsoever. In fact, it seems to only urge them on. He clamps his hands over his head to try and shield the light in his hair, but a few pixies mange to squeeze in through the gapes of his fingers.

Gajeel snaps, turning his arm into an iron pole and swinging wildly at them, taking out a good chunk of the group. The pixies all scream at the sight of their fallen comrades were hit. They take one look at the big hunk of iron before flying of in a hurry, shoving each other in their flight to get away. Natsu and Gajeel can only look at them in shock, surprised at the sudden silence that overcomes them again.

"What the hell just happened?" Natsu asks, a ring of wonderment in his voice, looking in the direction the pixies left. Gajeel can only shake his head. They get up, both wincing as the small but bleeding scratches on their bodies open up even more.

A light shines from Natsu's head. "Thank you," it chimes shyly. "Sorry to bring you into this." It floats out from its hiding place and comes to rest in front of them. Its light dims to show a tiny little girl dressed in white, smiling. "Let me return you to where you should be."

"Wait!" both yell, gaping at the fairy.

It smiles, not understanding. "Don't worry. I'll reward you as well."

The whole world goes dark, shapes melting together and colors bleeding into colors. The only light becomes the small girl as she floats forward to touch Natsu's then Gajeel's cheek. A sudden weight falls into their hands before the light disappears along with their awareness.

+…+

"Guys!" Lucy's voice groans, cutting through the blackness. "Again? Really?" There's a heavy pause before Natsu feels the weight in his hand disappear. "Where'd you get this? It's so pretty!"

Natsu is the first to blink open his eyes. He groans and sits up, a dazed expression on his face before he suddenly remembers. "Where'd the fairy go?" he demands. "And the pixies? The hedgehog? My funnel cake?" He recalls the booth's unfortunate demise. "No! _Why_?"

Gajeel sits up a minute later, not nearly as loud as Natsu. He takes a moment to regard the lamenting mage before looking around himself. "Where'd the fairy go?"

"Not you too!" Lucy sighs, turning the shining jewel Natsu had in his hand around in the sunlight. The shape of a fairy can be seen inside, dancing as you change the angle the light hits. "A fairy's not going to explain all the damage you guys caused…again."

It's only then the two really notice where they are: the same place that were with the groundhog, wrecked booths and all. Even a part of the roller coaster that was close by is gone, giant holes from the hedgehog's quills in it.

"You do have money to pay for this, right?" asks the silky voice of the park's owner, suddenly popping up behind Lucy and earning a scream from the girl. He catches sight of the jewels in her and Gajeel's hand and nods. "That should be enough." He quickly grabs them and walks off, leaving Lucy with a heartbroken expression.

Happy flies over to Natsu, landing next to him. "You saw a fairy, Natsu?" he asks, excitement shining in his eyes. His friend nods, finally moving from the destroyed booth. "Did it have a tail?"

Gajeel and Natsu both have to refrain from slamming their heads into the ground. "We forgot to check!"


	2. With a Sigh

**DATE: June 21  
THEME : Mystery**  
**SETTING : Edolas**  
**CHARACTERS: Mystogun**  
**PROMPT : Patience**

**Disclaimer: 42.7 % of all statistics are made up on the spot.**

How would they survive without magic?

+…+

With a big sigh, Mystogun looks at the high pile of rubble that used to be someone's home. The roof is almost completely gone. Broken glass dangerously glitters in the fading light. An over-turned couch pokes out at the top, the once vibrant red color faded from the dust that covers it.

A lamp sticks out on his left curled in on itself, the lacrima inside long dead. Part of him wants to reach out and try it to see if magic could come back if only for a moment, but how would that look to the people around him trying to stay strong? No, he has to pretend he doesn't care, that he doesn't miss magic. The new ruler can't be seen yearning for magic like they all do, especially after defeating the 'great demon lord' magic-free.

With a controlled sigh, Mystogun moves on, smiling softly when a few workers call out to him from their half-finished house. All of them go back to work, faces set in renewed determination. A few older bodies shake with strain, legs looking close to giving out. 'It'll be a miracle if some of them can move tomorrow.'

Their shirts are drenched with sweat and stick to their dirty skin. Multiple empty bottles of water litter the space around a massive cooler, the ice inside long melted. The sun is nearly set now, barely peeking over the horizon. 'They've had to have been working there since noon at least.' Still, they all move at a steady pace, never wavering.

With a sigh, Mystogun moves on to see Lucy and Natsu- 'Not the ones I know,' he thinks somewhat forlornly- carrying two heavy bags of cement each. Natsu notices him and nods timidly with a slight smile, the complete opposite of the Earthland Natsu's massive grin Mystogun's accustomed to. He stifles laughter as Lucy elbows him sharply, snapping him back into line.

The heavily bundled up Gray is a short distance away, packing the cement over on the cracked sidewalk. He's a little off-target, most of his attention focused across the street where Juvia's working on the other sidewalk. Cana smoothes over the mixture while carefully keeping her skirt out of the way, a daintiness to her that has more than one man glancing at her as they pass.

With a tiny sigh, Mystogun moves on, finishing his climb to the top of the hill, and looks down at the town. Yes, they've been devastated. Yes, the magic they were all used to and relied on is gone. Yes, they'd have to adapt, but they were doing it. Slowly but surly they were rebuilding and learning.

They would survive.

With a smile, Mystogun looks with pride at the slowly recovering town. It may take awhile, but they would all be fine. It would just take patience.


	3. Disturbing the Peace

**Disclaimer: I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.  
**

**DATE: June 22  
THEME : Crime**  
**SETTING : Bank**  
**CHARACTERS: Erza**  
**PROMPT : Gothic / Lolita**

To say Erza is attracting attention is a _massive_understatement. To say she's the center of attention is still a giant understatement. To say all eyes ware locked on her without a breathing being released as she walks up to the bank only begins to describe the looks she's getting.

It's almost safe to say no one could accurately depict the mixes of shock, perversion, confusion, and down-right exasperated reactions of the crowd as Erza Scarlet strutted into the bank with a bag of armor at least twice her size while wearing her Gothic Lolita outfit from the Miss Fairy Tail Contest.

Erza dismisses them quickly. It's only for today while her armor and outfits are cleaned. This is the only outfit she has that isn't destroyed, dirty, or going in her vault. Yes, she's out of room at her house and pocket dimension, so she decided to move the less useful ones out to make room. It isn't her fault!

…Okay, so maybe she shouldn't have put off getting her armor repaired and doing the laundry, but she was busy! Gray and Natsu weren't going to stop fighting themselves, and Lucy can only do so much to stop them when Erza wasn't there.

"Next," urges the bored worker at the desk.

Erza can't believe her good luck. 'The lines aren't too long. I should be able to get back in no time.' She hurriedly runs to the shortest line in the place, ignoring the renewed stares, and sets her bag down. The whole building shakes from the force, and the poor man in front of her finds himself flat on the floor.

"Sir? It's your turn?" the worker calls, putting some impatience in her voice. The man doesn't hear them, too busy drooling over Erza as she checks over her armor in the bag. "Sir!" He still doesn't respond. "Next!" The person behind him is in the same state and doesn't even acknowledge they're being called. "You have _got_to be kidding me!"

A police officer, one quite used to Fairy Tail mages'…uniqueness, waves at the worker to get their atention. "I got this." He steps out of line and walks back to the distracted Erza, his clicking shoes catching her attention. "Ma'am?"

Erza nods, back rigid with respect. "Yes? How may I help you?" Multiple scenarios run through her head, each worse than the other. "Please tell me no one has caused to trouble and no buildings have been destroyed. I will take full responsibility-"

"Actually, I need you to please change your attire." He clears his throat uneasily and rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. "You're... disturbing the peace," he says, gesturing to all the gawking people.

"But-" she tries to explain.

"No 'but's," he warns, becoming stern. "I know you, Erza Scarlet, and your magic. I'll have to ask you to change."

Erza takes a deep breath, trying to get all her thoughts together. No armor is in her space to equip, and using the armor in the bag would require her to physically remove her clothes. If there wasn't a giant wave of people coming in and filing into line behind her, she would step out of line and go to a restroom. As it is, that's not an option.

Erza puts on a completely serious face and looks the officer straight in the eye. "I can't do that. If I could just deposit my armor I'll be on my way."

He looks at the young mage, the flustered worker, and the ogling crowd. He knows what the mages do for Magnolia and the debt they all owe, but the law is the law. Anyone disturbing the peace, be it intentional or not, is to be taken in.

"Ma'am…"

+…+

Makarov slams down his empty glass, cheeks slightly flushed from the alcohol. He looks fondly at his guild in full swing. Lucy is chatting with Mirajane, Natsu and Gray are spitting insults at each other, and Happy is chowing down on some fish close by. All they're missing is-

"Master," Mirajane says, interrupting his thoughts. He looks at her questioningly as she holds out the phone. "Phone for you from the local police."

'Odd. Natsu and Gray are in here. Who else would get into trouble this early?' He takes the phone wearily, eyeing Natsu and Gray. 'If not them, who?'

…

"_What! Erza! You're kidding! In jail?_"

All activity stops to gape at the Master's sudden outburst. Mirajana skillfully catches the phone as it slips from his hand. "Master?" The poor man is too far in shock to respond, staring straight ahead while opening and closing his mouth in an effort to say something.

'One of my last few brats that actually stayed out of trouble, in jail. It's a wonder I'm not completely bald from the stress!'


	4. Nightmare

**Disclaimer: Quantum mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of.  
**

**DATE: June 23  
THEME : Supernatural**  
**SETTING : Graveyard**  
**CHARACTERS : Karen Lilica**  
**PROMPT : Revenge**

Black. All that can be seen is a soulless black. It's a darkness so deep is swallows his very self, defies his right to exist in it. Even the sound of his steps are eaten by the darkness and lost in the pure vastness.

There are no shadows. After all, shadows can only be made by a combination of light and dark. Light can't exist here. All light is dyed by the color. All hope is nullified. To see even the shadow of a twisted form let alone his own would at least offer some form of comfort, but there is none to be found. Not that he would ever admit he's scared and needed reassurance. It's more of a secondary emotion to his rage at this point.

'The king, stalked like some kind of prey!' he thinks furiously, keeping his arms out in front of him to avoid smashing into any walls. 'I don't even know what it is! I wish I could see it!'

He sneaks another glance back, only to be met with shrill scream of rage. He fights against the pain it causes as long as he can, his whole body vibrating and his teeth gnashing together. 'Fight it! Peer through the black.'

There's nothing to be seen.

Unable to take it any longer, he slams his hands over his ears to block out the sound and turns back around. It's gone as suddenly as it started. He doesn't even attempt to run from it. The same thing would happen.

Time stretches on. Though he doesn't see or hear it, he knows the thing is still stalking behind him, just toying with his anger and fear. It only fuels those emotions all the more, cutting his nerves. The darkness unsettles him more, and shivers of the unknown keep crawling up his spine.

Desperate, he moves his hands to his sides to try and find the wall. He slides his palm carefully over the stone, feeling clean-cut grooves. 'If I find a turn or another passage, maybe I can get away.'

"You can try," laughs an ice-cold voice, "but it doesn't matter. You are stuck on this path" If he didn't know better, he'd say whatever's behind him just licked its lips. "You are mine. Forever. Fated to waste away to nothing as I watch."

He stops dead in the middle of the black, letting his hands clench into fists. "Who…What are you?" he questions, a growl to his voice. "Where is this? What am I doing here? How'd I even get here?"

"How?" laughs his hunter. "_How?_" it shrieks. "Your stubbornness! That's how! This is all _your_fault!" Loki feels something grab the front of his shirt and pull him forward. Warmth breath that reeks of rot hits his face, making him gag. "Would you like to see," it asks, "what you caused?"

He is suddenly spun around without time to give an answer, still reeling from the smell of rot. All at once the dark recedes to show graves make up the walls and ground. Ghoulish creatures sneer at him from their stones, pointing to a stone in front of him. He follows, stopping dead as he reads whose stone it is.

**Karen Lilica**

A figure rises from the stone, glaring at him. He can only gasp at the appearance. Her once flawless hair is in tangles, her eyes white as a ghost, and her skin as brittle as a thousand-year-old scroll. She has on the same clothes he remembers from the last time he saw her, but there is now a gapping, bleeding hole in the middle through her stomach.

"Look what you did!" she snarls, appearing suddenly right in his face, her own a hair's breath away from his. "You broke the contract, so you will suffer my revenge!" Her hand lightly caress his neck as her cheek slides against his. She stops at his ear and whispers, "Disappear into nothingness, Leo."

Her hands tighten around his neck.

Loki's eyes snap open, his breath coming in short gasps. Sweat rolls down his face, and his sheets are tangled around his legs. '…A dream?' he thinks dumbly, looking around his grave-free room. 'No, the same dream as every night. Karen…' Loki can't suppress the shiver that escapes him as he remembers her in his dream. All that blood...

The bedsprings creak as he gets up, wincing at the sharp pain that shouts up his body. 'How much time is left until Karen is satisfied? Probably not long now.' He yawns as he grabs his clothes for the day, trying to get ready as fast as he can to escape the heavy air in his empty house. The sooner he's at Fairy Tail, the sooner he can forget Karen, if only for a little while.

+…+

'Of all the things Natsu could've brought home it has to be a Celestial Mage?' Loki thinks in annoyance as he climbs into bed. 'Couldn't be another mutant flying cat egg, could it? Ah well. No use dwelling on it. I just have to stay out of her way until I disappear, and I'll be fine,' he thinks, clicking off the lamp light.

The immediate darkness of the room reminds Loki of his nightly dream. He feels his muscles tense up as the image of Karen flashes through his mind, but he forces his body to relax. What does he have to get worked up about? This happens all the time! He shouldn't be nervous or scared!

Even so, it takes a while for him to fall asleep.

+…+

Black . All that can be seen is a soulless black. It's a darkness so deep is swallows your very self, defies your right to exist in it. Even the sound of Loki's steps are eaten by the darkness and lost in the pure vastness.

But it's different this time. There are shadows now. There's a light somewhere. He looks around for it, even braving the scream of his hunter to look for it, but he can't find it. Still, it's there, and it lets a small ounce of hope into him.


	5. Wrong Point of View

**Disclaimer: One by one, bunnies steel my sanity.**

**DATE : June 24**  
**THEME : Humor**  
**SETTING : Fairy Tail Stage**  
**CHARACTERS : Natsu & Lucy**  
**PROMPT : Secrets**

~Pairing: NatsuxLucy

Natsu paces furiously behind the crimson curtain of Fairy Tail's stage with his head bowed in concentration, occasionally muttering out loud. His mind isn't even in the guild anymore, instead what feels like a million miles away as he tries to figure out what to do.

'How do I face her? I mean, it's not like I meant to! It just…happened. It's her fault for leaving it out where anyone could see! Sure, maybe I could've not touched it in the first place or just left it in the mailbox instead of taking it home, but I had no intention of reading it! The stupid thing just fell open after I happened to knock it over, and I happened to read it…and now I know.

'She obviously didn't want me to know- it said as much!- but how do I feel about it? She's my _nakama_ of course, my friend, I like sending time with her…ugh! I _might_like her that way…What do I do?' his thinks desperately, thoughts going around again.

'Thank whatever power is out there Lucy didn't come into the guild today,' he thinks for the fifth time that hour.

Natsu's so lost in thought that if Happy hadn't been there earlier to move all the props and other hazards, the mage would've tripped long ago. Too bad for him the precarious pile the flying cat made was too unstable to last.

The Dragon Slayer blinks and finally returns to the physical world as something soft lands on his head and plops down in front of him. "What's this?" he asks out loud, bending over to pick up the small, beat-up rag doll. He runs his hand through the worn sting that serves as its hair then looks up in time to see a massive pile of who-knows-what fall over. "Damn-!" The poor kid doesn't even have time to finish his curse before he's crushed.

Luckily, none of the more heavy stuff landed on him, but the sheer number of things that fell on him is heavy enough to keep him from standing up or really moving his limbs at all.

Now Natsu has a problem. Burning all this stuff will get him in trouble, which will tick Erza off and get him a good whack in the head, but all of the things currently trying to smooch him into a pancake are his _nakama's_. He's not above punching a few of them in a fight, but outright destroying something of theirs? Nope. Not happening.

This creates the problem of getting out without fire. Every time he moves, the pile shifts on top of him, more of it pressing down on him. At first he doesn't care and forges ahead in his typical fashion, but then a heavy bowling ball is knocked free and lands not even an inch from his hand. Now it's dangerous.

Natsu tries yelling, but the constant noise of the guild overpowers his single voice, and the things on top of him only mute the sound more. Throat sore, his only hope is Happy coming back. It's not like he told anyone he was back here, so unless someone comes looking for something, it'll be awhile. His stomach gurgles right on cue. 'Great.'

+...+

"Natsu?" calls a timid voice Natsu can barely make out, let alone tell who it is. The floor of the stage creeks as the owner of the voice ventures farther in. "Natsu?" they call again, closer.

The fire mage freezes. 'No way. Lucy?' If he could move, he would've banged his head against the ground. "Why her? Why?" he groans softly to no one in particular.

'Whoa! What happened?' Lucy bends over to pick up a small, beat-up rag doll with yarn for hair and a smirking expression. 'Jeez! This thing looks evil! You'd think it just buried someone alive or something.'

Lucy sets the doll carefully on a dusty shelf that showed no signs of ever being used and turns her attention to the pile, the doll smirking at her back. "Hello?" she calls as a loud cheer springs from the other guild members. Getting closer so she's leaning over the pile, she tries again. "Anyone in there? Move or call out or something."

Natsu hesitates. Yes, he wants to get out, but he was in here to avoid her in the first place. It's when he hears her footsteps start to recede that he calls out, voice scratchy from his earlier yelling.

Lucy's head snaps around, eyes widening in worry. 'Natsu?' She sprints to the pile, throwing items out of the way in an effort to get through quicker. 'What if he's being suffocated or worse? He didn't sound good!' Her blood goes cold at the thought; her speed increases ten fold.

"Nastu!" the Celestial Mage yells, relief taking over her expression before it changes to a strange mix or anger, worry, and skepticism. "How did you get in this position? You need to stop being so careless! What if I hadn't come back here? You'd probably be stuck here until Mira's next performance. Really!" She stops her rant when she notices Natsu hasn't said anything. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

The Dragon Slayer tries not to feel guilty as he sees the genuine concern in her eyes. "Nope. Could you just make sure nothing heavy falls on me as I get out?" She nods and backs up to give him room.

Now that the risk of injury is gone, Natsu dashes out of the pile quickly, causing another smaller avalanche to fall on him. Lucy laughs as he wiggles out of that pile, a pointy hat with the words 'dunce' on them now on his head. An evil grin blooms on his face as he grabs a clown afro. Natsu springs without warning and shoves it on her head.

A full-fledge costume war rages between the two, though it's more one-sided since Lucy keeps being reduced to laughter by the ridiculous things she manages to get onto the Dragon Slayer.

"Truce!" she yells, pulling off sunglasses that took up half her face and a green wing that only came to her ears. Natsu grins and rubs the streak of lipstick from his cheek, plopping down on the floor. Lucy moves to sit next to him. "Hey, have you seen my journal?" she asks off-handedly, not noticing the way Natsu stiffens.

'Oh yeah! I was hiding!' He looks over at the curtain. 'I can make it. She's not that fast in those heels.'

"I really need it back," she continues, drawing his attention as she nervously bites her lip. "It's kinda private…" Natsu squirms in his seat, looking anywhere but the girl next to him. "I don't know what will happen if I can't find it."

'Crap! I can feel the guilt!' Lucy stares right at him, just making the feeling worse. '…Damn.'

"Okay!" he yells, standing up. "I read it! I did it! I'm sorry!" He turns on Lucy and backs up a little. "I know! I know about-"

"Shh!" Lucy jumps up and slaps her hands over his mouth, looking around like the walls have ears. "Don't tell anyone," she hisses. "It's embarrassing!" Slowly, like she doesn't trust him to shut up, she lowers her hands, face flushed in embarrassment. "So…what did you think?"

'Now what?' Natsu thinks desperately, looking around like a rabbit caught in a cage. 'She's blocking the exits!' He looks at the fabric on the ground. 'I could set a fire- a small one that doesn't cause much damage- to get her away and give me time to think!' he concludes, thoughts on the edge of insane.

Lucy takes his silence negatively. "I see. Is it too deep? Not enough detail?" She gets closer. "What do I need to change to get better?"

The demand in her tone takes Natsu by surprise as much as her words. "You don't need to change, Lucy," he answers softly. "You're fine the way you are."

She shakes her head furiously, her hands going into fists. "I don't know if you get this, but I'm really passionate about this!" Natsu gasps at her bluntness. "I can always improve. It's one of the most important things in the world to me, and if I can't…if I can't…" She swallows the lump in her throat and looks him square in the eye. "Tell it to me straight: what do you think?"

'That this is going to give me a headache," Natsu thinks bitterly. He mulls over a few options, each dumber and more crazy then the last. Not knowing what else to do, he leans forward and pecks her on the cheek. "Me too I guess?"

Lucy turns all shades of red, staring at him in shock. "…Huh?" she asks intelligently.

Natsu's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "You know, how you like your best friend? The guy who saved you?" He gets a blank stare in return. "The confession in your journal?"

"The confession in my-oh!" Of all the reactions he could've gotten, laughter wasn't one of the once he expected. "Natsu! The journal has my new story in it! The point of view belongs to the main character, not me."

The Dragon Slayer's jaw drops. "So that's it. Huh." He grins widely at Lucy and pats her shoulder, not noticing the awkwardness in Lucy's face. "See ya! Good luck with that story!"

"Wait, you-" Natsu's already gone to get some food. "Don't just run off after something like that! Get back here and tell me what you meant! Yes to what? Which part did you read? Natsu? Why'd you kiss my cheek? Natsu!"

**Does this seem forced to anyone else?**


	6. No Mercy

**Disclaimer: Why is abbreviation such a long word?  
**

**DATE : June 25**  
**THEME : Action**  
**SETTING : The Bar**  
**CHARACTERS : Mirajane**  
**PROMPT : Broken**

+Please note they are children+

"Wow," Lisanna breaths, eyes never leaving the beautiful sculpture Mirajane set on the table in front of her. She gets up on the bench to see better, leaning on her hands to get closer with wide eyes. "Where'd you get that, Mira-nee?" she asks enviously.

"It's for you, silly! No need to have that tone," Mirajane says warmly, ruffling her little sister's hair and admiring the sculpture as well. It's in the shape of the guild's crest and changes color depending on where you stand, what angle you look at, and even the lighting in the room. It's one-of-a-kind.

Natsu glares at it distastefully and crosses his arms with a scowl, trying not to look impressed. "Looks like ice. I bet I could melt it easily," he brags, not noticing the figure looming over him angrily. "It pisses me off just looking-ow!"

Mirajane whacks him over the head, making him drop like a stone. He glares at her, rubbing the sore spot on his head as he sands back up. "Don't you touch it!" Mirajane warns, matching his glare. "It's crystal, not ice, but it's still fragile." She gives a one-armed hug to the entranced Lisanna. "It's for her birthday, and I don't want it destroyed. Get it?"

"Nice ice sculpture!" Gray whistles from across the room. He gets up from his seat across from Erza and runs over, not noticing all his clothes except his underwear are gone ("Thank goodness he's still covered," the whole guild thinks). "Still, I could make a better-Wow! It changes colors!" He pushes Natsu out of the way to get closer, knocking him back on the ground. "How'd you make the ice do that?"

Mirajane sighs impatiently. "It's not ice, it's-"

"Oi!" Natsu yells from the ground at Gray. The ice mage doesn't notice, busy leaning different ways to see the different colors, which just ticks Natsu off all the more. "You little!" The boy sweeps Gray's legs out from under him with his own, quickly shifting out of the way of the falling kid with a triumphant grin.

Gray is stunned, eyes widened in shock and wind knocked out of him, but only for a moment. Teeth clenched, he concentrates on his hands. "Ice Make: Lance!" One measly lance flies at Natsu. He easily dodges, the ice impaling the table a few people were drinking at.

"You missed," Natsu taunts, sticking his tongue out in mirth before making a funny face by stretching the sides of his mouth out and wiggling his tongue. "You couldn't hit me if you tried, pervert!"

"Oh yeah?" Gray demands, rising to the challenge as he clambers to his feet. "Take this!" He sprints forward and lands a solid punch in Natsu's face. The flame mage jerks back a little from the impact, dropping his funny face in exchange for a pissed one.

"Here we go," mutters Makarov. A bad feeling starts swirling in the pit of his stomach, thought that could be the alcohol. Even so, he keeps a close eye on the brawling children.

Natsu's hand ignites as he swipes at Gray, who narrowly avoids it. The half-naked kid returns the favor with a shot of ice, hitting the flame and successfully making it go out.

Gray gracefully jumps over the table behind him, the one right next to the table that has a cautious Mirajane and a starry-eyed Lisanna…and her present. Natsu jumps up, aiming a flaming kick right at his head.

…You see where this is going, huh? Too bad Mirajane didn't until it was too late.

The two sisters can only stare in shock at the broken, slightly charred remains of the once amazing present. Lisanna feels her eyes fill up with tears and lip tremble. Mirajane notices.

"Hey, Natsu and Gray." Mirajane beams at them, cracking her knuckles loudly. A threatening air surrounds the girl, making the grown men close by flinch. "There's crystal all over the floor and Lisanna's sad. Guess what happens now?"

Their terrified screams could be heard all throughout Magnolia that day.


	7. Useful? Yes, Yes I am

**Disclaimer: A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.  
**

**DATE : June 26  
THEME : Adventure  
SETTING : Mountain  
CHARACTERS : Laxus  
PROMPT : Gender-bender**

"Why are you guys here?" Laxus asks, trying his best not to lose his temper. He was determined to prove he changed to his grandfather, and snapping at the others was not a good way to do that. Yes, he cared about them. No, he didn't want help on this mission.

"'I'm here because of the reward. I need to pay rent,' she says matter-of-factly," Horologium says in a monotone as he treks up the mountain behind them with Lucy comfy inside. In fact, she's taking a nap.

Natsu sighs and readjusts his bag. "Lazy." He grins at Laxus and jogs to catch up with him. "I here to get a fight! You said we'd have a rematch, but you left," he explains happily.

"Aye!" Happy pipes up from Natsu's bag, lazily eating a fish.

"You're as bad as her," the Dragon Slayer laughs, pointing at Horologium.

Happy shrugs and wipes some stray bits of fish from his face. "If it means I get more fish, I'm okay with that." The cat takes a huge bite, one that would choke a normal person, and swallows it in one go. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Up the mountain!" Natsu announces grandly, earning a scowl from Laxus.

"You tagged along and don't even know the mission?" There was a ring of agitation in his voice they all noticed, but no one really paid any mind to it. Natsu would get the same tone every time he dragged Lucy on a mission without really looking at the task, and Happy…well, he could fly away if need be.

"I'm supposed to climb to the top of this hill, alone," he gives the boy a pointed look, "and shatter a cursed mirror, alone," insert another pointed look, "so that the village at the base of this mountain is freed. Then I get the reward…_alone_."

Natsu ignores the 'subtle' hints Laxus throws at him and glances down the way they came, but he can't see the village. "So…what _is_the curse?"

"They wouldn't tell me on the request." Laxus increases his speed at the thought of the massive reward…that he'd now have to split. "The paper said don't go to the village until after the curse is broken. For how much they're paying, I'd guess it's not pretty. That's why I wanted to go alone."

"So you do care about our well-being," Natsu smirked. Laxus didn't answer, turning his face away to hide the slight heat on his cheeks.

They continue on, Lucy and Happy sleeping comfortably as Natsu and Laxus marched, sweating in the sweltering sun. They rarely stopped for food on Laxus' insistence they get there as quickly as possible. He had no idea how long the curse would take to break, and wasting all their food was a big no-no.

Few living things crossed their path, but none of them showed much interest in the travelers. Happy moaned about there being no fish the occasional times he was actually conscious, but he stayed out of the sun and slept enough that it didn't agitate Laxus too much. Lucy didn't wake-up once. Natsu kept shooting concerned glances back at the girl to make sure they didn't lose her. Laxus notices.

"Why do you always team up with her if she just worries you?"

Natsu thinks on it for a minute, surprising Laxus. Finally he answers, "She may not look like it, but Lucy can hold her own in a fight. Even when she's out of power, she can dodge really well."

'That's not something to be proud of,' Laxus thinks.

"She's resourceful and smart, which really helps me on missions," Natsu continues. "She's my friend. I'm going to worry about everyone I go on a mission with, but I trust her the same I trust Erza."

The two fall silent as the path slopes steeply up. Soon the only sound is their harsh breathing and Happy's occasional mutterings. Sweat pools down their faces, and their feet start to hurt. The dry air hurts their lungs. Both refuse to admit the discomfort and carry on, not hinting to the slight envy they feel towards the sleeping Lucy and Happy.

"The summit!" Natsu all but screams. His slumped shoulders straighten out in joy, and all the weariness from his face disappears. Dirt flies in the air from his sandals as he races forward, Laxus jogging behind and Horologium waddling at the end.

Happy jerks awake due to the suddenly ruff journey, nearly falling off his perch. He opens up his wings and soars out of Natsu's bag, flying up to try and see their destination closer. A chill shoots through his body, and a numb feeling starts curling where his heart is. Happy drops in surprise at the new sensation.

Cautiously, the cat flaps his wings to get higher, slowly increasing his altitude again. Natsu notices his friend's unusual lack of speed and stops. Laxus shoots him a questioning look before continuing on with Horologium and Lucy.

"'Snore,' she says," Horologium reports unnecessarily. "'Stop rocking the boat, Aquarius,' she says in a sleepy mutter."

Natsu tries to make the spirit stop, but it- or is it he?- forges on ahead with Lucy inside. The Dragon Slayer takes a few steps to run after it, but stops to look up at the flying cat. "Happy? What's wrong?"

"Natsu, the air feels strange higher up." Happy gives one last thrust up so he's level with the summit. "There's a strange mist around the top." Eyes narrow, trying to see through. "I can't see, and there's a weird feeling in my gut. It's cold up here, too."

"Cold?" Natsu repeats, puzzled. He looks at the sun still blaring down on them that had gotten hotter as the day wore on.

Happy gasps at the pain that shots through his body. Numbness sprouts all over his body; his wings stop working.

Natsu cries out as Happy drops from the sky. He desperately races forward, stumbling over rocks in his haste to reach the plummeting Happy. He leaps in the air with his arms out and catches his friend, easily landing on the ground. "Happy!" he cries.

The blue cat groans but opens his eyes. "Aye," he answers pitifully. "I'm okay. There's something strange about this mountain."

Natsu looks over at the way Laxus and Lucy (and Horologium) went, but he can't see them. Dread rises in his chest as he holds Happy closer and rushes after them.

The same chill that hit Happy in the sky happens to Natsu the closer he gets, but he doesn't react. The numbness starts in his heart as well as the cat's in his arms. A small tingle of fear enters the flame mage's mind, but he shoves it forcefully away. 'It's probably fatigue. I'll rest when I'm up there.'

Snow replaces the dirt and finds its way in Natsu's shoes. He flatters for a moment, taking in the suddenly opposite scenery. Happy starts shaking from the cold; moderate heat begins to radiate from Natsu's hands to warm him up. The poor cat keeps trembling.

The ground begins to flatten out, urging Natsu forward. Deer and snow foxes regard him distastefully, the animal count suddenly over-whelming. A few eye the quick meal in his arms but don't act…yet.

Natsu breaths in relief when he reaches the top. Oddly enough, the top is just a flat surface, the ground before it like stairs. He jumps up onto the flat land, ignoring the feeling of jelly that surrounds him as he passes, and promptly finds his limbs don't work anymore. The poor boy face plants to the ground, dropping Happy who's in a similar state.

There's no pain, but it's not a particularly comfortable feeling when your body won't listen to your brain. Happy lays a few feet away, some scratches on his face from the tumble. The mist the cat mentioned before starts spreading over them until Natsu can't see Happy anymore. He tries calling for his friend, but his mouth doesn't work.

"Natsu?" calls an unfamiliar voice. A shadow looms over him, and he feels someone shake his shoulder gently. "Natsu, are you okay?" There's an impatient grunt before Natsu is nudge none-too-gently in his side. He starts at the ticklish feeling he didn't used to have there.

"Yeah?" he asks, frowning at his squeaky voice. Natsu rolls over on his back and looks up, giving the strangers a puzzled look. "Who are you people?"

"Aye," Happy says. Natsu notes his voice sounds strange too.

A boy with short blond hair stares at him, brown eyes wide with shock. A woman with blonde hair looks at him with a sigh, adjusting the headphones on her ears. "It's us. It seems we found out what the curse is."

The boy bites his lip nervously when he sees Natsu doesn't get it. "I'm Lucy, Natsu. That's Laxus."

The Dragon Slayer stares at the boy for a beat before bursting out in laughter. He sits up and brushes the snow out of his…longer hair? Whatever. "You do look kinda like Lucy and have similar clothes, but she had on a skirt and longer hair. You're also missing…you know, a chest."

"Like the one you now have?" the woman, Laxus, scowls from a short distance away.

Natsu's eyebrows nit in confusion before he looks down. "Oh," he says lamely, reaching up a hand to touch his chest. He shrugs after squeezing them and confirming that they are, in fact, real (much to Lucy's embarrassment) and looks at Laxus. "What happened?"

Lucy gaps at Natsu. "That's it? We switch genders and you accept it like that?" she demands, snapping her fingers. "Hello? Can you please react!"

"Lucy!" Natsu gasps. "You're completely flat! Better?" The whack to the head answers no.

"Huh?" gasps Happy, sitting up. He looks exactly the same except there's now a skirt in place on his lower body.

Laxus and Lucy give the cat unhappy glares. 'Unfair.' Needless to say the two aren't exactly happy with the switch. Natsu's carefree attitude doesn't help the mood either, or Happy's wails.

"Shut up!" Laxus snaps at the cat. "We need to think, and your whining isn't helping at all." She grabs Natsu by the vest, thanking the stars above her clothes changed to cover what they should, and roughly sets her in front of the edge. Lucy runs over to stand next to them, Happy riding on her shoulder. "There's something all around us that-"

Natsu's arm bursts into flames before Laxus can even finish. "I got this!" She runs forward, completely missing Lucy's look of panic as he punches the invisible barrier full strength.

Upper arm seemingly sunken into nothing, Natsu's not prepared when the rest of her arm comes back out…the opposite way. She's helpless to dodge as she punches herself in the face and flies back.

Happy rushes over, lightly poking the forming bruise on her cheek. The Dragon Slayer yelps in pain, shooting the apologizing Happy a weak frown as she rubs the smarting skin in pain.

Laxus has no visible pity. "If you would let me finish?" Natsu nods, still dazed. "Thank you.

"There's something all around us that prevents us from leaving. We try to walk out only to get turned right back around…still looking like this." She glares down at her body with disgust as Lucy helps Natsu up. "Magic just gets rebounded back."

"But we can't see anything, which is strange. There are no runes" Lucy mutters, turning his head to gaze around. He backs up, looking all around him questioningly. A gasp sounds when he reaches the middle of the summit; his legs lock in place to avoid moving even an inch.

Natsu runs over without a second thought to see what Lucy found, but stops when he raises a hand to freeze.

"It's not really invisible. It catches light! In fact, it looks like glass." He pivots on his heel, checking to make sure there's no openings. "It's reflective too." All the mirrors reflect back the boy Lucy with the same calculating look in his brown eyes. "Like we fell through the looking glass," he mumbles to himself in wonderment.

Laxus rolls her eyes, catching sight of a bird as it passes through overhead. "Great analysis, but how do we get out?"

Lucy's eyes follow the bird curiously from the center, not taking a step forward or backwards least he can't find the spot again. His mind works furiously, trying to see any difference or oddity with the bird that could be a hint. A few spots are noted on its body.

The Celestial Mage openly gasps as the animal flies through the glass, expecting it to wreck into it now that he can actually see it. Natsu and Laxus jump at his reaction, but he waves them away, waiting for the animal to return.

'There!' Lucy almost yells, lining up the spots on the bird to the ones he remembers. They're different now. 'Still, what does that reveal?'

The bird, none the wiser it was turned around, flies on right into the 'mirror' opposite of it and reappears again. Lucy takes note of the spot again to find them in the same place now. His eyes widen in realization.

"Opposite! We're opposite!" he yells, starling the other three. "That's why our gender was reversed! We were 'mirrored backwards.'" Lucy's eyes shine with joy that he figured out what was wrong.

Natsu and Happy run over to Lucy, yelling about her genius. Laxus doesn't pat him on the back just yet.

"Then how do we get out?" she challenges with raised eyebrows.

Lucy frowns in thought, running though solutions in her head. Some seem plain ridiculous, a few probable, but none really seem to fit. She looks at the 'mirrors' to see if one reflects a different image, but all reflect her…a million times over.

'They're all pointed at each other, reflecting the other.'

Without explanation, Lucy slowly rotates in a circle, counting out loud to cut off the talking Natsu and Happy. He stops on twenty-five then counts again, ending with the same number. Nodding to himself, Lucy starts spinning around furiously without moving his feet, looking like a headless chicken. Natsu and Happy exchange confused looks before asking, "What are you doing?"

Lucy lets out a frustrated growl and turns on them, the picture of a demon. The two back up, apologizing for whatever unknown thing they did. "I'm trying to find the original. That's probably the source. Which ever one doesn't have one diagonal from it is probably the one we want." He meets eyes with Laxus. "Hit the one I point to with everything you have."

It takes ten freezing, dragged out minutes before Lucy unsurely points out in front of him. Natsu sprints forward with fists blazing without a second thought, but it takes a searing look from Lucy to get Laxus moving.

To Laxus' shock, he hits solid air, or what seems to be air, instead of going through. A crack about as tall as Happy appears from both her and Natsu's fist before spreading out and intertwining with each other like vines. A loud crack resounds as all the other 'mirrors' reflect the wounds, all shattering at once.

Natsu ducks down as they sound, expecting glass to shower down on him, but nothing hits his skin. She- no, he now- looks up to see the sun blaring back down on them, the snow rapidly melting underfoot.

Lucy steps out of the center smugly and stretches her back with a smirk on her face. "So…how much of the reward do I get? Rent doesn't pay itself."


	8. Play With Us

**Disclaimer: Penguins can fly. They're just lazy.  
**

**DATE : June 27  
THEME : Humor  
SETTING : Playground  
CHARACTERS : Freed & Bickslow  
PROMPT : Children  
~AU  
**

Bickslow looks sadly at one of his few friends, Freed, whose nose is buried in another book no normal six-year-old would ever be able to read, let alone understand. The point of the swings is to swing, but he just sits there reading, paying no mind to Bickslow as he soars higher than is safe on his swing with mad laughter he can't help.

Freed looks up when Bickslow sticks his feet out to stop the swing despite the risk of breaking a leg. The boy jumps off, barely stumbling as he lands, and runs over. He grabs the book out of Freed's hands with a goodhearted chuckle. "Play! Come on!" he urges the green-haired genius.

The intelligent Freed sighs and reaches for his book, only to have it raised up above his head where he can't reach (he's not the tallest kid in the group). He looks distastefully at Bickslow, but the giggling kid is already running over to the sand box near the cluster of bushes.

"Can I have my book back?" Freed yells, frowning at his high, child-like voice. He can't wait till his voice deepens and people actually treat him on the level his intelligence demands. Like that Levy girl. She's smart, and can read almost as well as him. Too bad those other two boys usually keep her attention.

Bickslow plops down in the sand, dropping the book close enough that he can reach it without the book being in danger of the sand. "Not till after you play for once. Sit and read all the time and you'll get lazy!" he crackles.

Parents give him strange looks at the harsh, mad sound and try to inconspicuously herd their children away. Freed notices and scowls at them. So what if his friend laughs when he talks?

Freed struts over with confidence that would make a full-grown man envious and sits next to Bickslow. He grabs one of the shoves and helps him full a bucket to make a sand castle, eying the mother's in disgust. They all look away, and Freed happily returns to his digging.

"Hey Freed?"

The boy stiffens at his name, the shovel full of sand freezing on its journey to the bucket. He knows that tone of voice Bickslow's using, and it promises nothing good. Was there some other reason Bickslow wanted his attention? He looks up cautiously.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Bickslow asks with a chuckle.

Freed scoffs and returns his attention to digging. What a dumb question! "Ghosts are the product of people imaginashion…" He purses his lips in annoyance and carefully says, "Im-a-gin-a-_tion_."

"So what, Freed?" Bickslow laughs.

"So what, Freed?" choruses two other voices. The poor boy freezes and looks up, only to see two floating tiki dolls, one smiling while crying and the other scowling angrily, above a wickedly grinning Bickslow.

"What's wrong?" they all ask at once.

Freed screams, dropping his shovel. The kid stumbles out of the sand box, tripping over his feet in his haste to get away. Bickslow watches the genius run down the path that will lead him back to their orphanage Fairy Tail, completely forgetting about his book.

Laxus and Evergreen come out of the bushes, dropping the puppets in a heap of strings as they laugh. Laxus picks up the book, smirking at the title, _101 Ghost Stories_.

"That'll teach him not to act so high and mighty and play with us more."


	9. Crunch

Disclaimer: Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.

DATE : June 28  
THEME : Suspense  
SETTING : Dark Hallway  
CHARACTERS : Mavis  
PROMPT : High School

+AU+

Lucy's steps echo loudly in the dark school, making the skittish girl nearly die of fright when it mixes with the dull buzz of the flickering lights. All at once the light disappears, plunging the once safe hall into the unknown.

There just has to be a power outage the day she fell asleep in the library! As if the lightening and thunder isn't bad enough, everyone's already gone. The teacher trusted her to lock up after herself, so he'd left early. Now Lucy wishes she had insisted he stay.

Normal items become menacing in the dark. She can swear there's a giant crab stalking her at some point, but it's just the shadow of some branches outside. Even the flag hanging from the wall looks like the sinister cape of some villain.

Lightening flashes, lighting up the hall for a brief minute. Lucy gasps as the shadows jump out at her, laughing at her fright. Is it her, or are they closer than before, reaching out to grab her? 'Just your imagination,' she reminds herself, forcing her shaking legs on.

Lucy doesn't see the shadow that cruses leisurely along the ground behind her, taking its sweet time. It makes the most terrible face it can come up with every time the lightening flashes, then softly touches her legs to send a chill up her spine. The poor girl doesn't notice when it stretches up, opening its mouth the devour her-

"Snap out of it!" she screams angrily, snapping her imagination back into line. "Shadows don't move like that! They're inanimate objects and will stay inanimate. I'm fine." Lucy straightens out her back and walks confidently forward, convincing herself she's not scared.

A moan suddenly sounds reverberating around the frightened blonde. Lucy squeaks, stopping dead in fear. 'Imagination,' she quickly dismisses, but her pace is noticeably slower. So much for not being scared.

The moan sounds again. Lucy can't deny its authenticity now that it's closer.

'_Crunch!_'

Lucy slaps a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out, but a small whimper escapes. She wishes she could grab the sound back. What ever it is most definitely knows where she is now!

Footsteps start up behind her, the pace painfully slow.

'_Crunch!_'

Another deep moan.

"Lucy~!" a high voice yells, slurring slightly. "Lucy!"

The blond moves to the side of the hall, pressing herself against the cold lockers. She slithers along towards the direction of all the noise, planning to slink passed it and go out the door on the other side of the school. If she runs, it'll just run after her, and Lucy isn't that confident in her speed.

'_Crunch!_'

Lucy's hands clench together, and her teeth dig into her lip. Sweat rolls down her back. The sound is right in front of her! Her heart hammers in her ears, making her deaf. 'A little more,' she urges, stepping as lightly as possible. 'Just a little more!'

The footsteps stop.

A hand grabs her shoulder. "Lucy!"

Lightening flashes, lighting up the hall. A little girl with long, pale hair and red all over her face grins lazily at the girl, teeth also stained red. "I got you!" it exclaims, laughing.

Lucy passes out.

Mavis sighs, looking down at her unconscious friend. "Gees! You're such a chicken!" She pulls out a potato chip and places a red gusher on it. A moan sounds as she pops it in her mouth. "I just wanted to know if she wanted to try some. It's delicious!"

My friend called as I was writing this right as Mavis grabbed Lucy. I jumped so high! XD


	10. Chocolate

**Disclaimer: Hydroden Dioxide is very dangerous, killing thousands each year. People drown in it all the time!  
**

**DATE : June 29  
THEME : Comfort  
SETTING : Kitchen  
CHARACTERS : Lluvia (Juvia)  
PROMPT : Holiday  
~JuviaxGray  
**

Gray's jaw was set in anger, eyes excited for a fight. The air chilled around his hands, making a small mist float around them. Natsu matched his expression, fire in his hands instead.

"Would you put a shirt on?" Natsu sneered, crouching low.

"You're one to talk, hypocrite" Gray scoffed, putting his fist in his hand in preparation for his magic. "Really, that vest covers nothing!"

Everyone else just sat back to watch as the two went at each other like usual, slashing insults at one other as much as magic. No one noticed the admiring gaze of a certain woman from her place in the kitchen, mouth almost drooling as she watched the 'amazing Gray-sama kick Salamander's butt.'

In actuality, they were evenly matched as they destroyed tables, but try telling Juvia that. Gray was always number one. Even when he was wrong, he was right to her.

Some may call it obsession. Juvia calls it love.

The water woman retreated back into the kitchen, tying an apron on over her clothes. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day. She would definitely win Gray over with her chocolate and beat out that Lucy girl!

Ah, she could see it now. Gray-sama would eat her giant, heart-shaped chocolate with a smile. He would taste all the love Juvia put into the food and realize he felt the same- no!- had even more love for her than she did for him! He would give her a grand kiss and whisk her away to be married that very day!

But first she had to actually make the chocolate, and she was at a disadvantage. Chocolate didn't like water. 'But Juvia will do it!' the woman thought with fire in her soul. 'Juvia will do it for Gray-sama!'

Juvia moved over to the counter, checking over the instructions she received from a very helpful old woman she bought the supplies from. She skimmed over the warnings again before focusing on step one.

_Put 1 lb. of chocolate in a bow or pan and set in the outer pan that has the water in it. Put the heat low (do not let the water boil), and stir as it starts to melt. This will take around 15 minutes, so you need to be patient._

Juvia quickly plopped the pound of chocolate in a bowl before filling up another on with water. She placed it on the stove, turning up the heat so only a small flame poked out. Grabbing a spoon, Juvia hovered over it, waiting for it to start to melt.

Seven minutes later, the chocolate didn't even seem like it was getting soft, left alone melting. Juvia frowned at it and turned up the heat, her hand accidentally slipping so it was at the hottest setting.

Juvia panicked, trying to twist the dial so the flame would go down, but it was jammed! Not knowing what else to do, Juvia dowsed it with water, not noticing when some splashed into the now melted chocolate.

Afraid, Juvia peered at her chocolate, thinking it would be a charred mess, but was delighted to see it was completely melted. She happily picked up the pan by the handle, depositing the one that held water in the sink, and set it down on the counter before hunting for the heart mold she bought. She didn't notice the pan was burning the table and her directions.

A sound of relief escaped her when she finally found the mold but was quickly replaced by a gasp when she saw the smoke rising from the table. She rushed over, holding the pan up away to inspect the damage. The wood was still burning, red flecks showing the small fire. Juvia, not wanting to get her chocolate wet by using magic, ran over to the freezer and grabbed some dry ice, not noticing a few pieces fell into her chocolate, and swept it over the table.

With a sigh of relief, Juvia sat down the pan and looked at the burnt instructions. Only one step was difficult to understand.

_Spoon it into the mold cavities._

freez . M ke sure u t ic in frozen.

It took Juvia a few moments to decode the second step, but she quickly spooned the chocolate in and put the icing on. She sighed in satisfaction at the beautiful pattern she made and prepared to put it in the freezer, but the chocolate suddenly burst! It rushed over the mold, dousing her hands and the floor in chocolate liquid.

Juvia yelled out in despair, watching all her work fall apart in front of her eyes. Only a little bit remained in the pan, but she put it in the freezer anyway, doing her best to salvage the problem.

Twenty minutes later, the depressed water woman told took the mold out and followed the last step.

_When you take the mold out of the freezer turn it upside down and gently tap it on the table. The candy should drop right out._

It did drop right out, but the sad, bite-sized piece looked anything but pretty. She stared at the little husk before dropping heavily in a chair, putting her hands up to her face.

'Gray-sama will never eat this! Juvia will lose him to that Lucy!' she wailed in her mind. 'Oh Gray-sama!'

"What are you doing in here, Juvia?"

The woman jerked up in shock, turning her head towards a questioning Gray. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of him. "Gray-sama~!" she cried, the sight of her tears making him recoil in shock.

"O-oi! Don't cry!" He stood awkwardly by, looking around like the pots could give him a hint of what to do. His eyes landed on the chocolate. Cautiously, he walked over to her. "What's wrong?"

Juvia chocked back a wail. "Gray-sniff-chocolate-sniff-marriage-sniff-Valentine's Day-sniff." The poor woman couldn't catch her breath enough to thoroughly explain. Gray stepped back a little when she mentioned marriage, but he put together the crude heart was supposed to be for him. He bravely grabbed it and popped it in his mouth.

'Ulp!' The taste was horrible! It took all of Gray's willpower not to make a face and spat it back out. He forced himself to chew the rancid piece and swallow it, watching Juvia as her tears dried. "It's good," he lied.

Juvia's face broke into a bright smile, and her cheeks tinted red. "J…Juvia's glad you liked it, Gray-sama. Happy Valentine's Day."

Gray shrugged off the fact it was a day early and smiled back, sitting down with her. "Likewise."


	11. NES Now Escape Stupid

**Disclaimer: Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.**

**DATE : June 30  
THEME : General  
SETTING : Arcade  
CHARACTERS: Gajeel & Pantherlily  
PROMPT : Video Games**

A glare so horrifying it would make a dragon shake in its scales pierces an equally matched glare that could have a lion crying to mama. Yep, Gajeel and Lily are having a friendly little...competition.

The crowd around the two back up a few steps, but keep close enough so they can see the epic battle about to take place. It's truly a battle for the ages, the count tied nine to nine. All they could do was watch in breathless anticipation as-

"Don't you have something better to do?" Gajeel growls at the people, glare turning from his opponent to them. The ones closest to him all '_eep_' in fear before stumbling back into the next row of admirers.

Lily smirks at the furious man, crossing his arms in challenge. "Leave them be. It's not every day a man is beat by a panther of my size." He glares down at his tiny body, missing the well-built form he had in Edolas.

Gajeel growls, pounding the button to accept his character. "I'm not losing!" he insists, slamming his hand down on the old machine.

Accepting his character as well, Lily chuckles at his partner. "That's what you think."

Both position themselves at the proper buttons, the screen lighting up to announce round one. Every tenses in preparation, waiting for the game to let them fight. A few people make quiet bets, afraid to upset Gajeel. Others creep forward for a better look. Silence…

_Go!_

Gajeel and Lily mash the buttons as hard as they can, concentrating on knocking the other out. Combo after combo is fired, the poor buttons suffering abuse. The machine itself makes a pitiful noise as the plastic bends from the force. No one can hear it over the cheering.

After a minute, Gajeel and Lily only have half their HP left. They cut glances at each other, neither backing down. The buttons cave down under the pressure, but neither of them care. They just need to beat the other.

'Come on!' Lily urges. One more hit and Gajeel's down! 'No!'

Gajeel chuckles as he hits Lily's character, creeping out the people near him with the sound. One more hit and Lily's down too. They lean in close enough to the screen to go blind, set on beating the other. Gajeel watches as a hit for Lily comes for him and tries to dodge.

Then the machine caves in on itself, the screen shutting off before they can tell who won.

Everyone starts in shock at the ruin of what used to be the prized game of the arcade, no one sure how to react to the sudden destruction. One person in the front, a very hard-core gamer, drops to his knees at the sight. "Why?" he croaks, voice heavy with the unshed tears of sorrow. "It was so valuable."

Gajeel and Lily both flinch at the magnitude of bloodshed coming off the crowd. "I think we should run," Lily advises, already inching away. Gajeel doesn't even bother with subtlety and sprints out, grabbing the tiny Lily on the way out.

Lily wiggles out of his grip and relocates to his shoulder, peering back to see if they're being followed. "What the heck?" he screams, catching sight of the little NES characters running behind them that were probably summoned by one of the gamers.

Lily pulls out a sword and swings at them. They all jump on it at the same time, ripping it from his hands. He watches in horror as they quickly eat it before coming back after them. "Run, Gajeel! Just keep running! We are never going to another arcade again!"


	12. Happy Birthday I Guess

**Disclaimer: Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?**

**DATE : July 1**  
**THEME : Action**  
**SETTING : Sea**  
**CHARACTERS: Lyon & Gray / Lucy (since it is her b-day)**  
**PROMPT : Swimming**

Lucy sighs, checking the time. She'll have to put on more sunscreen soon if she doesn't want to burn, but she's ready to fall asleep. Everyone was kind enough to pay for her to go to the beach for her birthday, but it'd do no good to get a sunburn. Even Erza had reminded her to put it on regularly before disappearing.

Yes, everyone tagged along as well as a few others that were visiting for the day. Most have wandered off, even Natsu, but she's content to be left to herself for awhile. Well...mostly my herself. At least the company had been on the quieter side.

Juvia sits next to the dozing Lucy, her entire attention focused on the swimming Gray. Her eyes greedily watches each 'magnificent stroke' of his freestyle, much to the annoyance of Lyon. He attempts to start a conversation with her, but the poor girl's brain is shot as Gray stands up, water running down his exposed chest. Even Lucy has to sneak a peek.

Lyon narrows his eyes at Gray, jaw set. He stalks into the water, first depositing his shirt on the beach. Lucy notices and remembers their tendency to appear...less than decent. "Please keep your trunks on guys!"

Both grunt an affirmative, Gray watching Lyon carefully as he comes up to him. He didn't notice Juvia's lust-filled gaze eariler and has no idea what the other man is doing. He recoils when Lyon thrusts his face into his, earning a suspicious look from Juvia.

'Does Lyon want Gray too? Another rival!'

Lucy sweatdrops at the enraged expression on Juvia's face. "I doubt what you're thinking is actually going on." She turns her attention to the boys too, watching them curiously. She knows what's going on, but an ice fight in the ocean? Not the smartest place to fight. 'If I sleep, maybe I can avoid being sucked in.'

"I can swim faster than you," Lyon challenges. He looks over to Juvia and waves. She huffs, confusing him to no end. 'Did I make her angry? No matter. I'll beat him and prove I'm better!' He nods to himself. 'This'll be a piece of cake.'

Gray studies Lyon, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. "Why do you care?" He smirks. "I know I can swim faster, but what's the point of proving it?"

Lyon ignores him and points to a rock a few feet behind him. "We start there and swim," he points over Gray's shoulder about half a mile away, "to there. If I win-"

"Who said I was doing it?" Gray yells.

"-I get to take Juvia out to dinner," Lyon finishes, ignoring the other's objection completely. His thoughts are already focused on where to take Juvia. "All right! Let's start-"

"What do I get if _I_win?" Gray knows Lyon is set on this idea; there's no chance to talk him out of it now. He figures he might as well get something from it too if he as to compete.

The older regards him for a moment ("Now he's admiring Gray-sama!") before shrugging. "I'll buy you dinner."

"Um…I don't want dinner with you," Gray says bluntly.

"Why not you and Lucy?" Lyon asks innocently.

"By myself is fine," Gray offers.

"No~!" Juvia wails suddenly, surprising Lucy so much she jerks right up from her nap. The Celestial Mage blinks for a few minutes, trying to jump from her dream to reality before asking Juvia what's wrong. "You will not go on a date with Gray-sama!" she yells at Lucy.

Lucy stares at her blankly. "I never said I was." She looks out to the Ice Mages and realizes she wasn't out for long. "They're still there? What are they doing?"

Juvia smirks at her. "Juvia knows because she controls water. They're having a swimming competition." The water woman flushes scarlet. "Lyon…he…" She turns even redder. "Oh no! Juvia can't! Juvia loves Gray-sama!"

"Right…" Lucy turns her attention to the two as they run towards their starting point, staring each other down. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" she says to no one in particular.

Gray and Lyon both place their feet on the rock to get more speed on the take off. Waves lap at their upper chests, a few of the bigger ones enough to brush their chin. They both glare at each other…waiting…

"Count of three?" Lyon suggest. Gray nods. "One…two…" Their legs tense into a coil, arms out in front of them. "…Three!"

Both take off at full speed, diving right into the stroke and working as hard as they can. Juvia runs into the water to get a better view, wanting to see 'her Gray-sama' in 'all his glory.' Lucy stands up as well, curious to see who'll actually win.

'They're definitely going at it,' she laughs, noticing how they start to bump into each other in an attempt to knock the other out of the way.

Small ice patches crop up as it gets more and more out of hand. Lyon stops swimming all together and dunks under the water, placing his hands together. 'Ice Make Eagle!' Gray doesn't see it coming.

The wind is knocked out of him at the ice lifts him up out of the water. Lyon swims ahead without an ounce of remorse, even going as far as to salute Gray. "It's just a dumb race!" Gray gasps. "But if you want a fight…" He smiles, eyes lighting up. "I'm happy to oblige. Ice Make-"

'Here we go,' Lucy sighs.

"-Hammer!"

Lyon twists out of the way, making the large hammer crash into the sea with a big splash, but gets caught up in the burst caused. Gray freezes a large area under himself to stand on, making sure Lyon will land on it as well. He watches him carefully waiting for him to fall to just the right place. "Ice Make…Bazooka!"

"Ice Make Wings!" Like a hawk, Lyon soars out of the way of the attack and dives straight at Gray. He lets his wings crumble away and falls back on a favorite attack. "Ice Make Snow Dragon!"

Juvia gasps as Gray narrowly misses, rolling to the right. He skids a little on the ice, almost skating. He doesn't stop until he's across from Lyon, both ready for another attack. Neither expect a massive crack to appear between them.

"What the-?" Gray yells, the ground under him rising with a wave. He slips a little on the uneven surface.

"My dragon!" Lyon yells, trying to use his ice to make the ground solid again. It's no use, though. He can't keep his balance enough to use it where he wants. "It must've broken your ice, and the impact made the waves become bigger."

"…How much bigger?"

Lucy and Juvia gape at the huge wave coming at the Ice Mages. "It was nice knowing them," Lucy says, backing as far away from the sea as possible. Juvia tries to rush in after them, but Lucy quickly pull her back with her. 'Not even Juvia can stop that, and I doubt Aquarius could either. I'm going to miss you guys.'

She sure they'll be fine...mostly.

Gray and Lyon are hit full force by the water, flipping over with the force. The mages are spun around, turned over backwards, and completely discombobulated. They don't try to use magic to rocket themselves out just in case they go farther from the surface. All they can do is ride it out.

Juvia pulls away from Lucy and melts into the sea, forcing the water currents to go against each other and destroy the wave. She gently uses the water to push up the boys for some much needed air before letting the sea push them to shore.

Gray and Lyon collapse in the sand, still part way in the water. Lucy rushes forward to them. "Are you guys-_oh my god_!" she squeals. The girl quickly turns away as the two stand up.

Gray frowns at her. "What?" he demands impatiently.

Juvia appears from the water, worry clear on her face. "Gray-sama, are you-?" She looks at him, face turning red. "G-Gray…sama…" Juvia passes out with a smile, confusing Gray and Lyon more.

"Hey!" Natsu yells, returning from wherever he was. "Lucy, I found this place I think you'll…" He looks at the water-lodged boys. "I know it's Lucy's birthday, but it doesn't mean you should wear you're birthday suits."


	13. Horror as Told by Aquarius

**Disclaimer: When in doubt, mumble.**

**DATE : July 2  
THEME : Horror (Kinda)  
SETTING : Sunken Ship  
CHARACTERS: Aquarius  
PROMPT : Underwater**

One day I was swimming while we were on vacation. You remember that time, right Scorpio? It was after we went to dinner but before the movies. Yeah! That fish was amazing, and you won that sand castle contest! You are the best-

Fine, I'm going. Stop rushing me, Leo.

Anyway, I was down by the ocean floor since those fish always are less chatty and annoying- you wouldn't believe how long a clown fish's joke can go on for- when I saw a sunken ship. I was really excited for a minute because I thought it could be the Titanic- that's such a romantic movie!- but we were in the wrong area for that. Still, I had nothing to lose by checking it out.

So I'm looking around for an entrance, right? Fish keep giving me these strange looks, but this really nice eel shows me how to get in. He of course it had nothing on you, Scorpio.

The eel leads me through this hole hidden in the sand that I easily fit through since I'm so skinny- _don't you laugh_! I went through the tiny hole only someone of my size could fit to see the whole place is full of gold coins. I passed it up to get to the good things.

You would not believe how many vases weren't broken! They were beautiful, flawless! One had the image of the hydra, eight heads spread around the entire area. Another had a wave pattern where you could see fish if you looked at it the right way. Another had the stars in the sky painted on it with amazing accurately. There was also- _don't interrupt_! I'm getting there! Sigh. Whatever. But I'm moving on because I want to, get it? It's not because you're whining like a baby.

…Yeah! You tell 'em, Sporpio! You're the b-_I'm going_! Sheesh!

After I was done admiring the vases (I even traded my old one for a new one. Pretty, huh?) I was heading out when a sudden beam of light hit my eyes.

Huh? …Yes, I was at the bottom of the ocean. How did light reach it? I don't know. You want to tell this story instead? That's what I thought.

Where was I? The beam of light hits my eyes, startling me. I look around to see a mirror, the glass without any cracks. Two mermaids' tails entwined together to make the handle while the upper bodies held the glass in place. It was very well-made.

I swam forward to pick it up. It seemed harmless enough! Of course…it wasn't!

Thanks. I thought I did good with the dramatics there too.

Right. So I touch it and all of a sudden this image of a girl with long blonde hair, big chocolate eyes, a massive chest- I was surprised she count walk!- was smiling at me. Then it _talked_.

"Hi, I'm Lucy. I'll be your master someday."

+…+

The circle of spirits and mages stare blankly at Aquarius as she turns the flashlight away from her face, beaming. "We all found out Layla was pregnant not too long after. Horrifying, huh? True story too."

Loki rubs the bridge of his nose as the others smolder their laughter as Lucy stands up, insulted. Well, everyone expect Scorpio, who puts his arm around his girlfriend with a smile. 'I know she's teasing, but do Natsu and Gray have to laugh too?'


	14. Connecting Story

**Disclaimer: To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.**

**DATE : July 3  
THEME : Friendship  
SETTING : Library  
CHARACTERS : Leo/Loki & Lucy  
PROMPT : Silence**

**~AU**

"Shh!" The librarian, an old woman with a stern face called Miss Ne, glares at Loki as she tries to quiet him down for the hundredth time. "If you're not going to study, get out. There are others here who-"

"Where?" Loki asks, looking around. The four tables around him as well as his are empty, the chairs showing no sign anyone ever sat there. "I'm not doing any harm," he points out. "Besides, the place is too quiet. Nothing good comes from being silent."

Miss Ne grabs the rubber ball Loki had been playing with at sticks it in her pocket, much to the disappointment of Loki. She fixes a commanding glare on him. "You're in here for detention. Find something to do!" Her hand sweeps around her grandly as if she's revealing some grand prize. "This is a library. Read a _book_."

Loki leans back in his chair, balancing on two legs. He completely ignores the disapproving look he receives and smiles a winning smile that does little to cushion his next words. "But our library sucks, doesn't it? No one ever comes here-"

"Because it's all fiction," Miss Ne says curtly. "A lot of people who go to a library come for reference, but this one has almost every fiction story published in the last hundred years," she gushes. Loki yawns, unimpressed, and leans even farther back in his chair.

"And for you're information," she continues, pushing down the chair so it's on all four legs again, "people do come here." Miss Ne shoots a fond look to her right. Loki follows her eyes, but bookshelves block his way. "There's this one girl who comes here every day just to read. Sometimes she even writes and let's me read it." A slow smile blooms on her face like that of a doting grandmother. "She'll be published someday. I just know it."

Loki rolls his eyes. "Right." He reaches aimlessly behind himself and grabs the first book he comes in contact with. Pulling it from the shelf, he doesn't even look at the title and opens it to the middle. "There. I'm reading."

Miss Ne crosses her arms. "Fine. Don't use your brain. Just stay quiet then." She turns and makes her way back to her desk, but Loki can hear her mumbling. "Kids these days! They can't even open a book. Too busy with their phones and strange anime stuff. Words can't kill you! I swear, if more of them were like Lucy…"

This makes Loki cock an eyebrow. Lucy? As in the Lucy with the massive chest, strange stripper friend, and crazy, pink-haired boyfriend? The one that wouldn't go on a date with Loki? _That_ Lucy? _Reading_?

'She doesn't strike me as a reader, let alone a writer,' Loki musses. He puts back the book he grabbed, glance back at the place Miss Ne had been looking. 'Really? Naw, couldn't be.' There's only a moment of hesitation before he heads deeper into the library. It's not like he had anything to do anyway.

The smell of dust and old books is over-whelming. The carpet itself is freshly vacuumed, but the lack of readers has really taken its toll on the books. Loki picks up the pace. The faster he sees who it really is, the faster he can get to the better smelling part of the forsaken library.

The furious scratching of lead on paper surprises Loki, the speed leaving him wondering if whatever is being written or drawn is legible and not just scribbles. He peeks around a shelf and, sure enough, _that _Lucy sits on the ground with a notebook, her eyebrows drawn together with concentration.

"What are you-"

"Shh!" Lucy hisses, not looking up. "I just got an idea, and I'll be damned if I forget it because I stopped," she whispers. I lock of hair falls in her way, and she impatiently pushes it behind her shoulder.

Unsure of what else to do, Loki circles around to see what she's writing. He bends over the absorbed girl, waiting for her to push him out of her way like she did her hair, but she's seem completely entranced in her story.

'What could be so interesting about it?' Loki wonders, starting at the top of the page. He only makes it half way before Lucy jerks the page around so she can write on the back. Loki holds back his instinct to groan. It was actually starting to get interesting.

Reading on, he frowns. The story seemed to change so much from what it was. The plot seems to have pulled a 180! Loki focuses on her hand, determined to know where this is going.

There's an arrogant boy who flirts with every girl he crosses paths with, but the heroine whose point of view it's in can see he's lonely. She attempts to talk to him multiple times, but he just mistakes her intention and flirts with her despite her having a boyfriend. The girl urges her friends to help and invite him along, but they're turned down every time they try.

The main character watches him get worse and worse until he gets detention. Unsure of what to do about it, she goes to her usual place to think. Unknown to her, the boy's detention is held in the same place.

For some reason or another, the boy comes across her deep in thought. He asks what she's doing, and the girl replies, 'Thinking about you.' The boy, of course, takes it the wrong way. 'Not like that. Just wondering why you're always so sad and alone.'

'I'm not,' he stubbornly replies. The two sit in silence before he asks, 'Why do you care anyway? It's not like you know me.'

The girl smiles up at him ad extends a hand. 'Not yet, but I want to. Why don't you come with my friends and I to out favorite café, Fairy Tail?'

The boy thought about it before answering, "

Loki waits for Lucy to finish the sentence, but her hand stops. He jumps as her head turns around, heat rushing to his checks at being caught reading. She smiles silently and extends a hand to him.

"Aren't you going to write the end?" Loki questions.

"Lucy~!" Loki hears. "Are you coming to Fairy Tail or not? It's been the designated thirty minutes, so either come out here or we're coming in," Natsu yells.

Lucy's smile widens. "You tell me what the ending is."

Loki stares at the outstretched hand before laughing. He grabs her hand, wondering how Lucy could convey so much in silence.


	15. Leaving?

**Disclaimer: I am so tired there is no witty disclaimer.  
**

**DATE : July 4  
THEME : friendship  
SETTING : Magnolia Riverside  
CHARACTERS: Natsu  
PROMPT : Fireworks**

Colors explode in the dark night sky, staining the dull black magnificently. They crack loudly each time they're released, a few whistling instead. Most explode in a circle in various colors, but a few that crackle as they die look like a shimmering fountain. Some are even just flashes of light. They may just be normal fireworks with no amazing shapes, destined to be outdone by magic, but Natsu enjoys them the same. They look even more beautiful reflected back at him on the river's surface.

A volley of fireworks shoot up for the finale, one resounding crack after another. No doubt small children would've been crying from the noise if there were any. Natsu doesn't make a sound, the explosive finale of the non-magic fireworks reflected in his eyes.

Silence. The sky goes back to its usual black all of three minutes before a new shape the color of flame suddenly explodes into a massive dragon. A roar echoes as it moves, wings flapping and tail waving. Natsu smiles sadly at the sound of cheering he faintly hears from town, trying to ignore the pang he feels at seeing the flame dragon.

'It looks like Igneel," he thinks. In reality it could be any dragon, but people have a tendency to see things others don't. It could be the fire making up the body, the small spikes on its tail, or even the strange way the nose seems to bend, but Natsu just can't get the image of Igneel out of his head. He looks down at the water, the reflection blurring the dragon, but it seems to look even more like Igneel now.

Natsu has to hold back a yell of alarm when Ig- the dragon disappears from the sky. It's just like that day: his only family was suddenly gone. Vanished. Left him behind. And he was damned if he'd let it happen again.

Natsu's _nakama now_... the way he would die for them all isn't heroic. It isn't even because he's a nice guy but for a selfish reason. It's so he's not left alone again like he was before. He has so much now, but he's so afraid that he'll lose it at some point. If he doesn't fight tooth and nail for it.

What if Erza meets her match and is captured? What if Gray uses his Ice Shell? What if Lucy runs out of magic power using her spirits? What if they all just leave without telling him?

…Happy's been gone for awhile. He left right before the fireworks started and still isn't back. What if-

"Natsu!"

The Dragon Slayer turns around, only startled for a moment before he jumps up with a smile a kid would have if he was locked in a candy store alone. "Happy!" The cat easily glides down the hill and lands on his shoulder, a half-finished fish in hand. "Where were you?"

"Getting all of us," Lucy supplies, yelling over the noise. She carefully navigates down the hill in her heels, going at a snail's pace. She stumbles a few times but gets there fine, walking over to Natsu. "You could've told us where you were! The fireworks look so amazing from here!"

A scoff that Natsu can only hear because of his abnormal ears sounds. "I've seen it from better places. You know, that I found." Gray smirks at Natsu, smoothly sliding down the hill.

"Don't start," Erza warns from close behind, confidently stepping on the slope as if she was walking on the road. "We already missed half the show, so sit down a behave."

Lucy sits down next to Natsu, carefully smoothing her skirt out. Gray plops down next to her, shirt somehow gone for the trip down the hill to the edge of the river much to Lucy's embarrassment. Erza stays standing, waiting for Natsu to sit. He happily does, doing his best not to knock Happy off his shoulder.

Natsu doesn't need to worry. They aren't going anywhere.

They all look at the sky as a fairy bursts to live, but the bottom half is gone so no one can see if it has a tail.


	16. Shifting Ruins

**Thanks to all that review! I really appreciate it.  
**

**Disclaimer: If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!**

**DATE : July 5  
THEME : Adventure  
SETTING : Ruins  
CHARACTERS : Levy  
PROMPT : Injured  
~GajeelxLevy**

"This is stupid," Gajeel grumbles. "I can't believe I'm here!"

"It's your fault," Levy sings, a skip in her step and a smile on her face. She easily steps over a tiny steam, beaming when she sees the rock formation she's been searching for. "You were the one who thought I couldn't fight. Now look where you are!"

The Dragon Slayer growls at her, sitting up on the word script he's floating on that reads 'stretcher.' It's obvious to anyone his leg is damaged, so the threat has no impact on the excited Levy.

"Stay up there!' Levy reprimands sternly, her anticipation retreating to the under the surface so she has a more commanding tone and look. "I don't have enough magic power left to completely heal it until after a good night's rest, but I can keep you mobile long enough to get to the ruins."

Gajeel lays back down after a beat, frowning. "You could've just left me behind," he mutters.

Levy runs over to the floating script and jumps up onto it, leaning into meet Gajeel's eyes so he knows how serious she is. Too bad he takes it the wrong way.

"What are you doing?" he growls to hide how uncomfortable he is, lips pulling back to show off his teeth. Iron from the small snack he had is still in his teeth to give them a more frightening appearance, but Levy doesn't even flinch, earning some of his respect reluctantly.

"No way will that ever happen. I'm a Fairy Tail mage, and we don't leave our _nakama_behind." Levy sits back with a slight pout, swinging her legs in the air as they float along. "Even if they're arrogant morons who think bookworms can't fight."

Gajeel splutters indignantly at being out right insulted by Levy. How does he retaliate? Levy isn't like Natsu! It's not like he can punch her, and insulting her just seems…wrong.

Of course, he really can't say anything to deny her words. He did butt in where he shouldn't of during the fight with the bandits they'd had an hour ago. He always said she should get stronger and fight him, but he wasn't aware of how much more powerful she'd gotten already.

In all honesty, Gajeel could've sat back and watched Levy kicked their butts in less than a minute, but he wanted to fight. He'd noticed one of them attacking Levy from the corner of his vision and stepped over to help her, only to get hit by another bandit _and_Levy's attack. She'd quickly taken them down before turning her attention to Gajeel.

With not enough energy to heal him and make it to the ruins, Levy had made a stretcher and had to cast 'calm stomach' on him to keep him from getting motion sick so they could move.

"I couldn't leave you behind anyway," Levy continues, ignoring his attempts at speaking, "and staying behind was out of the question too. The runes we're looking for move every night, and I was lucky enough to hear a rumor it was close by this morning."

Silence falls between them. Gajeel stares at the sky, bored out of his mind. Levy puts her elbow on her knee and her head in her palm, studying him. She looks him over as if staring long enough will let her see into his mind.

The Iron Dragon Slayer looks down at meets her eyes, cocking an eyebrow. "What?" Levy doesn't move, lost in her own thoughts. "i?What/i?" Nothing.

Gajeel growls at looks back at the sky, but he can feel her eyes on him. He shifts on the word script, trying to relax, but Levy's eyes are driving him crazy! There's this look n them he can't read! If it was anyone else, he would've pushed them off…but it's Levy. Now what?

"Why'd you come?" Levy asks abruptly. Her voice isn't demanding or suspicious, but curious. Gajeel finally recognizes the look in her eye now. It's the same one she gets when trying to decipher ancient script…not that he would know. It's not like he hangs around her a lot or anything.

"Makarov," he scoffs, not even bothering to look at her. If he did, Gajeel would've seen her expression change to disappointment then irritation.

"I see," is her clipped answer. Levy jumps off, running ahead to avoid saying anything stupid she'd regret later. 'Stupid Gajeel! If he doesn't want to be here, then don't come!'

Gajeel yells after her, but there's not even a slow in her pace. 'What'd I do?' he thinks. 'Why is she so difficult! If only Lily was here…' As much as he hates to admit it, Lily has a much better understanding of everyone, not just Levy, and he really needs some advice. Ticking Levy off bad enough could very well get him the silent treatment the whole mission.

The 'stretcher' suddenly darts forward, almost throwing Gajeel off. He yells out in alarm, gripping at the gaps in the letters to stay on. Slanting to go up hill, Gajeel finds himself sliding down the letters. Gajeel starts to feel himself get motion sick and groans, laying his head down. He turns his hands into iron to strengthen his grip, glaring up at Levy- no, eating Levy's dirt.

The girl herself is sprinting at full speed, arms swinging fiercely as she runs. Levy is positively beaming as she runs, nearly laughing, and doesn't notice her script as been affected by her mood.

Finally, Levy reaches the top, the 'stretcher' not too far behind. The ruins stretch out before them, crumbled and broken. Pillars with eroded faces of angels stare at them, guarding houses with roofs that have long caved in. A few are just piles of ruble littering the uneven stone that all the ruin sits on.

Levy glances at green Gajeel, smiling apologetically at him. "I forgot my word wouldn't hold up if the speed is too fast. Sorry." She casts it again before taking off down the hill, the 'stretcher' moving after her at a much slower pace to the Dragon Slayer's relief.

When the words finally reach Levy, they lower Gajeel to the ground before disappearing. "I'll bring them back when we're moving," she tells him. Her eyes never leave the words carved onto the side of the stone the ruins sit on.

Gajeel watches her as she darts down the words into her notebook quickly, most of it gibberish to him. Levy slowly works her way down the length through the day, the 'stretcher' appearing again to float the injured male close to her again when she gets to far.

The sun sinks in the sky from noon to sunset, then sunset to night. Levy works till there's no light left, making it down only one length of the stone. Even when she can't see her own hand in front of her own face, she considers working by the light of her words.

"You should sleep," Gajeel supplies when the girl finally relaxes back to rub her eyes and stretch in the first time in hours. If Levy didn't know better, she'd say that there was an undercurrent of concern in his voice. "Don't these ruins disappear or whatever? What if you go with them and get lost."

Levy's eyes light up so bright even Gajeel can see them in the black. "You just reminded me about the hypothesis I wanted to test!"

The 'stretcher' comes back under Gajeel. He notices how much closer to the ground it is and the bumpiness of the ride compared to earlier. Levy stumbles a bit as she walks to the destination he doesn't know. 'She must be on her last legs.'

When they reach the dead center of town, they stop. Levy pulls out the sleeping bags and food, leaving Gajeel to feel useless. He watches her- makes sure she knows he's watching her- but gets no reaction whatsoever. No fear, no anger, no nothing.

Well, he gets another curious look, but that's not important.

"You're not going to take advantage of the situation?" Gajeel questions, lying on top of his sleeping bag instead of using it like it was meant to. Levy swings her bag around to look at him. "You've been giving me that look all day, like you want to find something out. What is it? Spit it out."

Levy bites her lip and looks away. There are so many questions she's wanted to ask since he joined, but which does she care about most? They all bounce around in her head, jumbling together and driving her mad.

With a huff, the mage gets out of her sleeping bag and drags it over to Gajeel. She throws it down next to him and climbs inside, turning to face him. The Dragon Slayer raises an eyebrow at her closeness (he could reach out and touch her), but doesn't comment.

Staring at him with misdirected annoyance, it takes a moment for her to grasp a random question and spit out, "Why did you do what Phantom told you if it was so awful?"

"Like what?" Gajeel asks, wondering if she knows about all his old missions.

"Gee," Levy answers, sarcasm leaking into her voice. "Maybe like pinning three people of your opposing guild on a tree?" She regrets the words as soon as they leave her mouth. "I-I…That was out of line. I didn't mean to-"

"Sorry 'bout that," Gajeel mutters. Levy jerks up in her bag, looking down at Gajeel in shock. The Dragon Slayer frowns. He'd meant for it to be too soft for her to hear. "I…I meant…um...pick a different question."

Stifling a laugh at his embarrassment, Levy decides to push the envelope a bit more. "Why did you take Laxus' lightening bolt for me? You were already badly beaten up and had proven yourself…so why?" She isn't expecting some grand 'I've loved you since I first saw you' speech, but she couldn't help but want something leaning towards that direction.

"Next question."

Levy pouts at him. She lays back down at stares at the stars, reminded of Lucy back home. "Fine. Like any girls?" she teases, again ignoring the childish thoughts of romance. They have no place here.

Gajeel thanks whatever's out there it's dark out so she can't see the heat rush to his cheeks."_Next question_!"

"…Are you going to answer any of these questions?"

"Next question."

Pissed, Levy throws her hands in the air and lets them flop back down. She glares at him, settling on a question he actually might answer. "How's your leg?"

Gajeel closes his eyes, groaning inwardly. Why won't she be quiet? Fine, he'll humor her. "Doesn't hurt as much at that lightening attack," he chuckles.

If Levy could've, she would've choked him. In fact, she gets up and leans over him to make sure he can't go anywhere. She'll be damned if she doesn't have one straight answer by the time she falls asleep, which will be soon. "Why did you really come here?"

The Dragon Slayer turns on his side, doing his best to ignore the warm breath hitting his face. "I told you already, Makarov."

"Then elaborate," Levy commands, the tone surprising Gajeel. "This is a mission I could easily handle by myself, so why did he make you come?" The voice of reason and practicality. Gajeel finds his respect for her climbing more and more.

"Dragon…" Gajeel says. "He said there was the chance of a dragon being here, so I came to check." He shrugs, staring at the outline of a rock close by. "I figured I had nothing to lose."

Levy blinks, noticing the underlying tone of sadness he does a good job of hiding. 'He sounds worse than when he got hurt,' she musses. 'That injury is no match for the one left by being deserted by that dragon.

Gajeel jumps a foot in the air when Levy suddenly collapses on him, rolling to the left so she's lying next to him. He scoots away from her, but she follows. "What are you-"

"The ruins," she interrupts. "I didn't finish reading, but it said it'd transfer you home somehow. We could ended up back at the guild, wherever this thing transports next, or…" Levi bites her lip. "We might end up where your dragon is." Gajeel tries not to react badly when she winds her arms around his waist. "I want to see a dragon, so I'm staying here!"

The Dragon Slayer takes a moment to understand before yelling, "No way! Move!" The pressure on his waist stays there. "Oi!" Nothing. He looks down at her, noticing her slow breathing. "If you were that tired you shouldn't have talked," he yells.

Peering down at her with a sigh, he can't find the effort to push her off him. What's the harm to let her sleep next to him? Maybe he wants to believe that she really cares and isn't just curious, if only for a minute.

'Ready, those questions were just like salt in my wounds, almost insult to injury…or whatever.'

Gajeel unzips his sleeping bag so they can both fit under and relaxes, letting himself fall asleep. If Levy freaks out in the morning, it isn't his fault, and she better remember that.

+…+

Everyone in the guild stares at the sleeping pair in the center of the guild, wondering how in the world they got there. Hadn't Levy and Gajeel left yesterday? What were they doing back…in a sleeping bag cuddled together like some couple?

Lucy laughs as she catches sight of them and woof whistles, waking them up. "Levy, you sly dog you!"

It takes a few moments for the two to realize where they are and what they're doing. Gajeel smirks as Levy jumps away from him like he's suddenly caught on fire, stuttering apologies as the guild makes some suggestive commends. Lily shots Gajeel an approving look, which he ignores.

Levy looks around the guild, sighing. "So much for that hypothesis. Sorry there was no…you know…" An uncomfortable air picks up around her. "I'll just fix your leg now." In a matter of minutes, Gajeel is as good as new.

Standing on her toes, Levy pecks Gajeel's check. "Thanks for coming with me. Sorry about you being injured," she whispers into his ear, not noticing the 'deer caught in the headlights' expression he has on. Lucy walks off with Levy, leaving Gajeel to watch her go with a dazed expression.

If he gets that every time, Gajeel doesn't mid being injured.

**I know Gajeel doesn't develop motion sickness till later and this is before the time skip, but do me a favor and ignore that. Please~?**


	17. Do You Promise?

**Disclaimer: I like work. It fascinates me. I sit and look at it for hours.**

**DATE : July 6  
THEME : Hurt  
SETTING : The Bar  
CHARACTERS: Gray  
PROMPT : Promises**

**Got it done early! First time I didn't wait till 11 pm to finally start. *insert victory pose here*  
**

+Please note they are children+

The guild is dark save for the few lights, barely illuminating the first row of tables beyond the bar. Even the streetlights do little to lighten up the inside through the windows. It's not as if the building is in need of lights at this point since everyone, save for one child, is gone.

The silence feels wrong in the building, a stark contradiction to how it is during the day. The rafters, missing the laughter and yells that bounce off them, just whistling forlornly as the wind blows through them. There's not even a creak of the floor or the clink of a glass from the boy.

Air feels heavy around him, laced with sadness and self-loathing. He hasn't moved since he first sat down, his iced water long since turned to lukewarm. There are no sobs or stifled cries, no trembling or curses muttered under his breath. He just sits there, staring into nothing.

A nightmare. That's why he's there. Gray had ran here out of habit, seeking a fight to get him mind off it. He didn't really think about the fact it was one in the morning and no one would be there, or that the dream would bother him this much.

The dream had started innocently enough with him and Lyon running with Ul in the snow like they always did when training, laughing and arguing good-naturedly. Then the snow had started to melt, thinning and thinning until it changed to dirt underfoot. Fire and smoke started appearing around him, laughing and sneering at them as they ran.

Gray had felt a shiver up his spine and yelled for the other two to stop running, but his cries seemed to increase their pace. He'd tried to stop himself, but his legs wouldn't listen. Ice magic wasn't working either. He could see Deliora looming ahead of them through it all, roaring loud enough to shatter the builds around them into ice shards. Ul and Lyon didn't even seem like they heard it.

Then it turned its cold, merciless eyes on them, and Gray felt his heart stop. It thrust its hand forward, a glowing orb flying for them. It hit Ul, freezing her in mid-step as an ice sculpture. There was no shock on her face. It was like she didn't see it coming.

Gray stopped running and stared in horror at his mentor. Lyon had finally stopped as well, and, instead of Deliora, rounded on Gray with a vengeance.

"It's your fault!" he screamed, his voice accented with the voices of the smoke and fire. "This is all your fault! You killed her! You _killed_her! Gray!" Lyon's voice was loud and raw, like a wounded animal. Lyon thrust his hand out much like Delora. "Die!"

Gray threw his arms in front of his body in a lame effort to protect himself, but the blow never came. He cracked open his eyes he had closed in preparation for the hit to see Ul in front of him, cracks appearing in her body. Beyond her, Lyon had changed into Deliora.

Ul turned to look at him, her body floating over to the monster that was once Lyon and sticking to him, immobilizing him. Ice shell.

"I'll seal your darkness," Ul whispered. "So live on. Promise?"

He can still see it in the darkness of the guild: Ul, shattering into a million pieces right in front of him.

It was the usual dream he had, but Ul's last words were different.

'Did she know?"' Gray thinks, his nails digging into the bar counter. 'Did she know the way my thoughts have been turning? Closer and closer towards death? Is that why she made me promise to live?' He isn't proud of it, but an early grave seems better and better every morning when he wakes up from another nightmare, practically wetting himself in fear.

_So live on. Promise?_

Gray had done the only logical think he could do when faced with his dying teacher. He had nodded. "I promise."

Ul had disappeared, trapping Deliora, but unlike other nights when Gray dreamed, the demon hadn't broken free. Ul had held him in her ice.


	18. Rogue's Illness

**Disclaimer: How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?  
**

**DATE: July 7  
THEME : Drama  
SETTING : Street  
CHARACTERS : Frosch & Rogue  
PROMPT : Sickness**

Frosch has never been more scared- no, _terrified_in his life. Not when that snake mistook him for an actual frog tried to eat him, not when he got lost during a mission and was attacked by a criminal missing an eye, and not even when the guild master threatened to kick him out for being weak. He knew that no matter what happened, he'd have Rogue.

Rogue would find that snake and get him out, Rouge would appear to help him get the criminal, and Rogue would vouch for him, maybe leave, if Frosch was ever kicked out of the guild. Rogue would _always_ be with him. Rogue would _always_find him.

If Rogue will be alive to is the problem now.

Again, the Dragon Slayer sneezes then groans. Frosch doesn't look, but can feel the blood ooze through his costume. "Fro's sorry!" he wails, readjusting Rogue on his back as he continues to carry (read drag) him to the closest hospital. The cat flinches when Rogue coughs, trying not to picture the blood likely flying from his lips.

Frosch can feel his partner's hot temperature and wonders if his blood is boiling. He hears the raspy voice of Rogue as he attempts to speak. The cat feels sick to his stomach when he thinks of the pin he's in. He knows Rogue can barely speak passed his aching throat.

"Save your energy!" Frosch cries, trying to go faster. Tears pour down his cheeks as he walks, leaving a trail. "I don't want you to die!"

Rogue smiles into his friend's back, trying to move his battered limbs. "I'm not going to die. You don't have to worry."

Frosch looks back at Rogue as the hospital looms into sight, sniffing. The Dragon Slayer's smile only makes the tears pour harder. "Yes you will! _You will_!" he sobs, catching sight of some nurses.

They rush over, pulling Rogue off Frosch's back. "Sir? What's wrong?"

"He's dying!"

Frosch's announcement sends the two in a flurry. One rushes to find a doctor while the other places Rogue on a stretcher. Frosch runs after them, but the woman at the front counter keeps him out of the area.

The nurse wheels Rogue down the long hall to surgery, checking him over for injuries. She frowns when she sees none and looks at the pale man. "What's wrong? It can't be a curse. I can't sense any magic."

Rogue's face remains impassive. "I have a cold and was just dragged three blocks by my cat. I just need some Aspirin."


	19. She HAS to

**Disclaimer: God must love stupid people. He made SO many.**

**DATE : July 8  
THEME : Romance  
SETTING : Outside the Games  
CHARACTERS: Natsu and Lucy  
PROMPT : The day after (meaning the day after July 7th... what do you think happens after "the fateful day"?)**

**~NatsuxLucy**

Lucy breaths deep and evenly, her chest slightly rising and falling with each intake of air. Her eyes don't even stir to show she's dreaming, and no mumbles of sleep cross her lips. Her fingers or toes haven't twitched at all. She just stays in the same peaceful position that the others put her in yesterday.

Natsu frowns as the neutral expression on her face. He's never seen her without some type of expression, be it anger, happy, or even peaceful. Even when he stayed over her house for the night because he was too lazy to walk home, Lucy's face always reflected the dream she was having, good or bad.

The blankets feel strange on Natsu's skin. They're too scratchy, not at all like the ones Lucy has at home that are like silk. He knows Lucy will hate them, and probably that pillow too. It's too flat. He'd try to puff it up, but he didn't want Lucy to wake up and snap at him.

Despite what they said, Natsu knows Lucy will wake up. So what if most of her magical power had been drained before they got there and stopped them? She still has some! She's still breathing! Coma his ass! She would be up and running by next week!

She _has_too!

"You've been here for four hours, Natsu," Levy sighs, giving Natsu a concerned look. Her eyes are baggy with lack of sleep and ready to close any minute even though she's been here less time than Natsu. If she's tired, he must be exhausted. "I know your concerned, but maybe you should take a break. We…We don't know if she's-"

"She is," Natsu says happily. "I know she is. We need to make sure she's not confused when she wakes up." He waves Levy away, still smiling. "One of us should stay, so you can go ahead." He turns back to Lucy, leaning forward on his elbows.

Levy looks at Happy, who's asleep on a free bed and sighs. Will they ever leave? "I'll bring back some food," she relents. Natsu hums in acknowledgment.

The doctor passes by Levy as she leaves, immediately catching sight of Natsu. He sighs and walks forward, placing a hand on the Dragon Slayer's shoulder and squeezing to get his attention. He's seen people like this before, completely in denial that their loved one might not wake up. The sooner the doctor can get it through his head, the sooner Natsu can move on.

"You know it's almost impossible that she's going to wake up, right?" Natsu gives him a blank look. "Her magic power isn't able to 'recharge.' She can't live without it, and there's no way to transplant it in her. Unless her brain activity gets high enough that her power can regenerate, she's not moving." He smiles kindly down at Natsu. "You can't hold your breath. Why don't you leave-"

"But she's going to wake up," Natsu replies stubbornly. The doctor flinches a little at the look in his eye, like the boy is daring him to contradict his words. "Lucy has to wake up. I mean, missions won't be the same. Her house isn't her house without her. She has a book she needs to finish." He gestures to the sleeping girl, a desperate tone to his voice when he says, "Lucy _has_to."

The doctor's eyebrow twitches in annoyance. How thick is this guy? "She doesn't _have_to do anything. She either will or won't!" Natsu recoils at the harsh tone. The doctor takes a deep breath and makes his tone become more soothing. "I'm sorry, but it might not happen."

Natsu stands up, shaking his head. "No! You're wrong!" His yelling wakes up Happy, who stares at the enraged Natsu. He's never seen him like this before! "She can't leave! She has to wake up! She's important to me! I love her! She…She can't just abandon me like Igneel!" He collapses back down, tugging at his hair. "Why does everyone I love go away!"

At a loss for what to do, the doctor stands still, stupidly staring at the boy. Even Happy doesn't know what to do. Sure, he thought Natsu liked Lucy more than he liked others, but he never thought he would figure it out!

"Natsu…" Happy flies over to his friend. "I won't leave. I'm sure Lucy will wake up." The cat sticks its tongue out at the doctor. "I know she will. She won't go away, and neither will any of us."

The Dragon Slayer smiles at Happy and looks back to Lucy, not noticing the doctor leave. He knows a helpless case when he sees one. "You're right. I now she'll wake up. Then I can tell her." Natsu brushes some of her hair from her face. "She _has_ to."


	20. Did You Know?

**Disclamier: 'Lie' is such a strong word...I prefer 'with-held the truth.'**

**DATE : July 9  
THEME : Love  
SETTING : On a Date  
CHARACTERS : Laxus and Cana  
PROMPT : Birthday  
****  
**"-which is why monkeys like bananas. Pretty cool, huh? I thought so too! There are so many things people don't know, you know? I hope I can spread the knowledge! Interesting, huh?"

The man leans forward, eyes wide in excitement. Cana nods, leaning back. Her smile is plasted on her face, fake enough to be a roll-on. She looks the guy up and down, taking in the completely muscled chest and perfect face. He's any girl's dream...untill he talks. Cana hasn't gotten in a word edge-wise all night since they sat down!

'Seriously, I know I vowed to get a boyfriend by my next birthday- which is today!- and try to finally fall in love, but this guy...' She looks away and glares, startling a poor waiter. He looks around for what he did wrong to see a different, scary man blond glaring at him the same way. The waiter would've died a thoudand times over if looks could kill.

Laxus cocks an eyebrow as a waiter faints dead on the ground. 'Wonder what happened to him.' He watches the pissed Cana with a smirk before scowling, taking a gulp of his water. 'I still don't get why the old man wants me to watch her. She's old enough to take care of herself, and, despite her expression, looks to be fine.'

Then Laxus remembers Gildarts'...erm, _warning _and shivers before looking back at Cana. She looks ready to explode from happiness when the barrel of alcohol she ordered arrives.

The barrel thumps loudly as it's placed on the table, the three peope who had to carry it panting and sweating with the effort. A few have shaky legs as they retreat back to the kitchen.

Cana's date for the evening frowns at her when she picks up the whole barrel without a second thought, chugging the alcohol inside. His frown deepens when it takes the mage more than five minutes to come up for air. People openly gape at the girl; even Laxus is somewhat impressed, his respect for her getting deeper as the barrel gets shallower.

With a great sigh, Cana lowers the barrel, a slight flush on her cheeks and a smile on her face. "Now...what were we talking about?" she asks, leaning forward in an effort to be more engaged. The man shakes his head disappointedly at her, obviously unimpressed.

"Did you know even at blood alcohol content, or BAC, levels as low as .02 g/dL, alcohol can affect a person's response time and driving ability? The probability of a crash increases significantly after .05 BAC, and even more rapidly after .08 BAC. Did you know women absorb alcohol into the bloodstream faster and metabolize it slower than men? Did you know the odds of women experiencing sexual aggression were nine times higher on heavy days of alcohol consumption compared with days of no alcohol consumption?"

Laxus can see Cana getting more and more embarrassed as her date's tone gets more and more lecturing, her hands clentching in her napkin. Her throat works furiously to try and say something, and a bead of sweat rolls down her cheek. Her date doesn't notice her discomfort and keeps rattling on, much to the agitation of Laxus.

"Did you know that, proportionately, more alcoholic women die from cirrhosis than do alcoholic men? Did you know that women who drink regularly are at significantly greater risk for liver damage than men even if they drink less or drink for a shorter period of time. Did you know-"

"-that you are by far the biggest ass in Fiore? Yes, yes I did." Laxus places his hand on the man's shoulder, squeezing it hard enough to bruise. The man looks up with an annoyed expressoin that quickly drops to fear when he sees Laxus. The lightening mage leans down and whispers menacingly in his ear, "And I do believe you are in my seat."

Cana's date couldn't be out of there fast enough.

Laxus plops down in the open seat, signaling to the waiter to take his and Cana's order. She studies him thoughtfully as the waiter leaves, eyeing him up and down. 'Well, I could give it a shot. Happy birthday to me. Let's hope this one's a winner.'

"So," Cana starts, smiling flirtatiously and flipping her hair behind her shoulder, "you're paying, right? And taking me to the movies?"

"I don't know..." Laxus looks at her nervously. The old man and Gildarts had said to make sure she had a good birthday, but he didn't like that look in her eye. "...I guess?" The brithday girl pumps her fist in the air in victory before ordering even more alcohol.

"Did you know your wallet is seriously going to hate you in the morning?" Cana asks with a smile.


	21. Don't Dance in Public

**Disclaimer: Sanity is that annoying thing that gets in the way of good ideas.**

**DATE : July 10  
THEME : Humor  
SETTING : Market Place  
CHARACTERS: Gildartz & Cana  
PROMOT: Dance**

"I'm only going to say this once..._go away_!"

"But Cana~!" Gildartz steps forward with his arms wide for a hug. "We need to spend more time together~!"Cana grits her teeth, trying to stomp ahead of him and loose him in the crowd. Too bad Glidartz is so big everyone parts to let him through. "Cana~!"

The girl rounds on him, jaw set and eyes blazing. 'She looks so much like her mother,' Glidartz thinks nostagically, only pissing Cana off more with his loving expression. 'I used to get the same look from her right before I was chewed out. Good times...well, not at the time, but they're good times now...I think.'

"I understand how you feel- I do- but I didn't want anything to change." She gives him a tiny smile but doesn't take the hug. "You're my dad, but you don't have to act like it. I'm fine with how it was before."

Glidartz moves forward and hugs Cana despite her not taking his offer. "I know, but I missed your birthday last week and want to make it up to you." She starts to protest, but Glidartz gives her a stern look. "Not as your father, but as a guild member."

People all hurry ahead as they see a full-grown man has a heel dug into his foot, not wanting to get involved. The people that look closer can see the girl's grin and laugh at the cute sight, a few remembering their 'disagreements' with parents.

Cana turns around and walks off. "Where?" she relents.

The S-Class mage smirks and points to a sign hanging over head, reading 'Leprican Bar.' "I"ve been herding you just in case. There're some members waiting in the wings."

Natsu, Lucy, and Laxus all pop out of the alley, Lucy looking embarrssed to be there. "Lucy! You traitor!"

"I was plan A," Lucy mumbles, frowning at Natsu when he complains about not getting to fight. "Natsu and Laxus were here just in case I failed." She smirks when she sees Laxus and Cana lock eyes and quickly look away. "Oh."

"Don't 'oh!'" Cana yells, making Lucy laugh and attracting Gildartz attention. "There's nothing to 'oh' about!" She rushes into the bar to order the biggest drink she can, not even stopping to apologize to Laxus when she bumps him on the way in.

+...+

"Ha!" Cana slams down her empty mug, licking the alcohol from her lips and smirking evily at the whoozy Gildartz that slams his down a few seconds after "I win again!"

Glidartz groans, holding his head in his hands. "God, you are my daughter," he mutters.

The music echoing in the small bar pounds his head even more, the guild member's voices adding to the mix to make enough noise to get a small animal to explode. They've somehow started a dance contest, the grand prize a kiss from the member of your choice.

Juvia is dancing as hard as she can, pulling out moves that haven't been invented yet. Gray is busy elsewhere fighting Natsu, not seeing her eyeing him.

People cylce through, some good and some bad, with Gildartz laughing like everyone and having a good time.

Then Laxus gets on and Gildartz suddenly has a problem.

The mage doesn't even bother to check if Laxus is any good before charging up there to have his turn. The room might've been spinning, his head might have been pounding, and the music may or may not have been played by a monkey, but Glidartz would never let Laxus near his daughter.

Whether Laxus wanted his daughter was of no consequence. Better safe than sorry.

Cana almost dies when her father moonwalks up on stage...moonwalks very, _very_ badly. It's basically walking backwards while dragging your feet. He almost trips on his way up on the elevated stage. Then he 'raises the roof' before swaying his hips completely off-beat to the rhythm while clapping completely off time. She doesn't think it could get any worse...then comes the running man where he actually runs forward off the stage and is knocked out.

Slamming her head on the table, Cana screams. 'Maybe if I pretend to be alseep I can pretend this never happened.'

Of course Glidartz awakes up long enough to shout, "I'll rip your balls off Laxus! Don't touch Cana!'

Yeah, she'd be hearing about this tomorrow no matter what.

* * *

**It's sad when the one that's theme is drama has a better punchline. I just had no idea what to do for this. I don't like it.**


	22. Don't Make Deals with Foxes

**Disclaimer: Dear Week, I'm so over you. I'm leaving you for your best friend, Weekend. Don't try to find us for at least 2 days. Love (not really), Me**

**DATE : July 11  
THEME : Fantasy  
SETTING : Hot Spring  
CHARACTERS : Melody & Ultear  
PROMPT : Enchanted**

Melody sighs as she sinks deeper into the relaxing hot water, letting all the tension release from her body. Smoke lazily twists into the air, creating nonsense patterns in the noon sky. It may be a bit early for a bath, but when you're lost in the woods, you take what you can get, like a hot springs in the middle of the forest.

Blowing water out of her mouth, Melody looks back towards the tree line for Ultear but sees no sight of the woman. Melody doesn't like to be alone and worries about them being found everyday. The girl is so worried she's tempted to make a sensory link just to make sure Ultear's okay.

'I knew I should've just waited- _what was that!_'

Melody scrambles back from the edge of the hot spring to the middle, eyes not even blinking as the bushes shake. 'Ultear? No…she would've said something or called out.' She feels a thrill of fear. 'This is a stranger.'

Glinting in the sun on the other side of the pool are her weapons. If only she could reach! Slowly backing up won't do any good- they'll be on her way before then- and running won't get her there fast enough.

'Ultear!' she silently pleads. 'Help!'

When they emerge out of the bushes, Melody forgets her fear and is thoroughly entranced.

'Beautiful!' She drinks in the sight in front of her greedily, forgetting her weapons in favor of staring at the amazing attributes in front of her. Hair black as the soot from the fireplace, brown eyes shining with knowledge, and a face cute enough to break hearts...for a fox with three tails.

"Hello, Melody."

The girl jumps as the creature talks, looking around to make sure there's no one else or some mean trick is being played on her. "Who…what are you? How do you know my name?"

The creature almost seems to smile at her confusion before bowing its head in greeting. "I am a kitsune." It nods off to the right. "I heard that woman- Ultear, was it?- call you that before. I figured it was your name."

Melody nods, moving forward with child-like wonderment and reaching a hand forward to touch it. She hesitates and stops short, letting ehr hand splash back in the water. "Why are you here?"

"Well." The kitsune smirks before a poof of smoke covers it, blocking Melody's view. A rather cute boy with whiskers is left in it place, smiling. "I wanted a new playmate, but it seems you're too important to the world to take, so you're off-limits. Unless a deal is struck... Here's an idea!"

Melody backs away as the boy leans in way to close, smiling knowingly at her. "I bet you a month's worth of time that you will someday be defeated by your own magic and break a criminal out of jail."

The matter of fact way he says it as if daring her to deny the ridiculous statement is almost too much. "What do you mean a 'month's worth' of time?"

The kitsune shrugs and reclines back, tossing a coin in the air that he hadn't had before. "You know. Just a month with me in my world. It'll be fun~," he brides, "and I know you doubt my words about your future."

Melody crosses her arms over her chest. "And a month there is a year here I'm guessing?"

The kitsune raises an eyebrow, impressed. Most didn't think to ask that. Heck, most didn't stop to think about taking the deal after hearing his improbable prediction. He'd made the right choice talking to this one instead of the other. It's always more fun when the prey actually thinks.

Fine, " he says, standing up and stretching. Melody can see three tails poking from his backside. "You may be important to the future, and a missed year wouldn't do much at one point, but, just because you're interesting, I'll make it only a day's time here. Deal?"

A hand is offered to Melody to seal the deal. She regards the kitsune before taking it. He smiles, the whole world spinning out of focus around Melody. 'What? Did I just make a big mistake? Why am I...getting...sleepy...?'

"Remember our deal," she hears him whisper as it goes dark around her. 'I _am_going to collect.'

+…+

"Melody! Why are you taking a nap here?"

Ultear's voice snaps Melody's eyes open. She looks around the forest, wondering where the water and kitsune has gone. "You can fall asleep anywhere, huh?" Ultear says fondly, helping the distorted girl to her feet. "Come on. Let's go."

'A dream? But the deal…was it real?'

_I bet you a month's worth of time that you will someday be defeated by your own magic and break a criminal out of jail._

Melody thinks about it a moment before scoffing. 'Even if it is real, I doubt any of that will ever happen. Now that I know, I won't let it happen. Besides,' she picks up her bag and follows after Ultear, ' it's not like any of that'll ever happen in the first place.'

She doesn't notice brown eyes watching her the whole way through the forest. Even on Tenrou Island, she never sees the almost laughing creature as she goes through her fate, forgetting the deal made long ago until she's collected for her month.

At least she had fun, although Ultear couldn't fine her from time to time no matter where she'd looked afterwords...

* * *

**Wish I could've worked on this longer. too bad I'm at day camp all day.**


	23. The World is Changing, and so am I

**Disclaimer: I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception**

**DATE : July 12  
THEME : Adventure  
SETTING : Edolas Forest  
CHARACTERS : Erza Nightwalker  
PROMPT : Miracle**

'I hate this!' Erza Nightwalker rages as she stalks down the old dirt path, kicking a stone hard to her left. It soars through the bark of the first tree before impaling itself deep into the tree behind it. 'I was a Royal Army Captain, the 'Fairy Hunter.' People would bow to be in respect! Now Mystogun sends me off for medicine to save that Lucy girl that suddenly collapsed! As if it'll work anyway. It'd take magic- no, a miracle to save her.'

Animals scurry to get out of her way, almost seeing rather than sensing the mix of absolute shame and rage Erza has at being made to bend over backwards for people she had committed to killing.

'There are so may useless people Mystogun could've sent!' A certain pink-haired cry baby came to mind. "I'm actually doing something constructive in the city. My strength is an asset they need at this crucial stage of rebuilding.

…I bet he doesn't trust me," Erza concludes. 'Probably afraid I'll try to regain my control in the military once we start putting it together. Honestly, it's what I should do!'

A small squirrel that's in Erza's path dives for cover when the woman nearly steps on it. The mother glares at her and throws some nuts at her head. Erza snaps around, grabbing the nut and launching it back. The mother squirrel manages to barely escape death by leaping away.

'Weak…like those Fairies.'

Scarlet, the other Erza, comes to Nightwalker's mind as she remembers falling as they fought, Scarlet yelling about hating others. Nightwalker can almost see Scarlet shaking her head at her thoughts

"That's what it means to be human," Nightwalker mutters, her teeth gritting. She stops in her path, shaking with humiliation as she hears the words Scarlet had yelled back.

_Humans should love other humans!_

'But we don't need humans that don't help us live. If being alive is strength, then what do you do with those that hinder your ability to live?

Nightwalker looks around her, wondering how much father it is, when she sees a tree with a stone-sized hole in it and a stone impaled in the tree behind it "What is with this forest!" she screams. "Why am I going in circles?"

"Because you need to change directions."

"Who's there?" Erza snaps, her hands caving into claws. So what she doesn't have a lance? It doesn't mean she knows no hand-to-hand combat. It'd be so easy for her, no matter who it was.

"No one important." An Exceed comes out from behind the tree, using its wings to fly.

Erza gapes, backing away in shock. "You have magic!"

The cat looks surprised before flying over to her, eye wide with excitement. "I do? Awesome!" It throws its arms in the air. "Fish! Rain from the sky! My magic commands so!"

"Don't screw with me!" Nightwalker grabs the Exceed, doing her best not to smash the animal in her rage. "Are you the one doing this? Why do you have magic?" Her eyes gleam with greed. "Can you share that magic?"

"Maybe, because, and no." The cat smirks. "And if you're wondering, my name is Glad."

Erza cocks an eyebrow. "'Glad?' Who names someone Glad?"

"The same idiot that'd name someone Happy."

Glad nods over to the way Erza came from, the branches of the trees shifting to different patterns. Some repeat, but most patterns appear only for a brief minute before being disregarded for a new one. "You're thoughts are conflicting with your heart. Fix it."

"'Fix it?"" Erza echoes. The blatant command takes her by surprise so much she nearly drops him. "How? I doubt there's even a problem; you're just screwing with me. I'm fine."

Glad crosses his arms. "This is- or was- the Forest of Miracles, right? I'm the miracle Lucy needs to live, but you're not so sure you want this miracle." He looks offended at the thought. "You can't give miracles to the unwilling. You might do something like…I don't know…keep the magic for yourself?"

Nightwalker doesn't get the chance to respond before a moan of pain is heard. It's so deep and bone-rattling even Erza goes pale at wondering the torture the other is going through. "Gonna check on that?" Glad asks, studding his claws in a detached manner.

Erza starts back down the path, keeping Glad in hand. All the animals are gone, and the light that had filled the forest Erza hadn't really noticed starts to fade to a dying gray.

A figure soon blocks her path, the body so mangled and chewed up that there are no features except for long, dirty blond hair. The stench of blood is enough to make even Erza's head spin.

Nightwalker dashes forward, kneeling down to see if she can be of assistance. Glad wiggles out of her hand and stops her from checking for a pulse.

"You're magic back or this person's life. Pick one now or die in the forest!" the Exceed yells, one hundred swords suddenly pointing at the former Captain of the Royal Army.

"What?" she screams, the question not really comprehending.

Glad doesn't repeat himself. "Twenty…nineteen…"

Erza looks at him, searching for some sign of a joke. There is none. Of course, she knows what the answer should be if she doesn't want to get skewered: save the person. But she really wants her magic back. Maybe it'd even be like Scarlet's. Limitless. The fear and depression…over. Her sense of power would be resorted!

But…there're doubts. What about others? What would happen to her? People were rebuilding. She was rebuilding herself. The world was coming back together.

_I can hear the screams of the world!_

By the world, I mean 'all living things!'

Nightwalker's eyes snap open. "Oh."

Light bursts through the gray, blinding Erza. The shifting patterns of the trees retreat.

When she opens her eyes, Erza Nightwalker was at the exit of the forest with a small bottle in her hands. She could feel the bottle trembling inside and could barely make out the words 'To Lucy' on the side. Glad was nowhere in sight.

Sighing, Erza started on her way back, slipping the miracle in her pocket for safekeeping.

* * *

**I won't be updating for around a week, but I will make up the prompts. I swear!**


	24. Pictures

**I'm back~!  
**

**Disclaimer: Some days you're the dog. Other days you're the hydrant.**

**DATE : July 13**  
**THEME : Family**  
**SETTING : The Heartfila Mansion**  
**CHARACTERS : Lucy & Jude Heartfila**  
**PROMPT : Childhood**

When you picture a family, what comes to mind? Is it the stereotypical picture of a weary but happy mother, a stern but good-natured father, mischievous children, and maybe an animal with a shine to ripping up the yard in front of a house?

Of course not. The image changes to more unique pictures based on the individual. Maybe there is only one parent present. Maybe there's no pet. Maybe the parents look nothing like the child. Maybe there is no child. It's different for everyone, even those in the same family. Some have more than one. Some have none.

When Lucy thinks of family, she has three separate pictures: her current one, her real childhood family, and the fake childhood family.

Her current family is her favorite of the bunch. Everyone from Fairy Tail is there with the guild standing pound in the background, the sun shining down on them all. Mirajane is close to the front of the massive group with her arms around Elfman and Lisanna, smiling as if there's nowhere else she'd rather be. Cana and Gildartz are right next to each other with identical grins with a keg of beer between them. Juvia is obviously staring at Gray, who has somehow lost his shirt again and is smirking at the 'camera.'

And in the front is Lucy herself with Natsu and Happy right next to her, grins so wide it's amazing their faces can contain the sheer mass of happiness radiating off them without splitting in half.

The whole picture promises acceptance no matter what your situation, a home to always return to, and a kind smile always waiting for you when you come back. There's a bit of chaos that admits from it too, but that's part of its charm. The scene is by far the most inviting of Lucy's pictures, but the next one can give it a run for its money.

Unlike Fairy Tail, not all the workers are there; the ones that matter are. It may be a smaller picture with a mundane background of grass and hills, but Lucy loves it all the same.

In the small group, Ms. Supetto is hanging towards the back with a reserved expression and her trusty broom in hand. Libon is holding his favorite books, a pile so vast he has to look around them to see the 'camera.' Eido as have a small, almost cocky smile as he shows a particularly good-looking lobster, and Grandpa Belo is behind him, smiling secretively as he sprinkles mystery dust on the food that will make the lobster get up and dance.

At the very center is a beaming, grass-stained, six-year-old Lucy held by her mother. Layla is in a more casual dress than what she usually wears, one perfect for playing with her daughter, and her hair is falling messily from its bun from all the roughhousing they did before.

It has the same warmth of the Fairy Tail scene, but has a more calm and homely feel to it. The picture would likely be on par with the Fairy Tail picture if it didn't have the feel of something- or someone- missing that created a gaping hole.

Lucy knows exactly who it is. He'll never be in that picture.

Jude Heartfilia does appear in the next picture, but he is anything but inviting. His face doesn't give away any emotion, not even self-satisfaction at the items around him that has a total cost more than what most people make in a lifetime. He just stares apathetically at the 'camera,' his hand resting on his wife's shoulder.

Layla Heartfilia is dressed in finery any woman would kill for. Her back is straight as a pencil, her gaze not betraying if she's uncomfortable or not. Instead, she has a soft smile on her face, but anyone staring long enough might notice the hidden strain behind it.

Lucy sits on her mother's lap dressed in similar attire, but she doesn't even attempt to smile. Her eyes stare sadly ahead, a frown freely showing her discomfort. She looks like a scared animal, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

The family seems to just be part of the expensive background, a fake shell of real people. It's colder than Gray's ice, and not even Natsu's flames could melt it.

Lucy knows her parents weren't really like that, but the picture is made of how she felt as a child. It's not like she can really fix it, but she finds she doesn't want to anyway. Each picture made her what she is today and continues to be with her, the good and the bad.

They're all her family, for better or worse.


	25. Clueless

**Disclaimer: All the autotune in the world still doesn't sound as cool as talking into a desk fan.**

**DATE : July 14  
THEME : Romance  
SETTING : Fairy Tail  
CHARACTERS : YOUR FAV PAIRING  
PROMPT : Prom**

**~NatsuxLucy**

"Natsu, stop fidgeting," Lucy whispers, scanning the now decorated guild around them. Couples mill around them, sparring them only glances except for a few girls stare a bit longer in envy at Lucy's dress. Different colored lights flash on and off to the beat of the music. Balloons litter the ground and air, enchanted to float around people. A buffet is lined up on the far wall, and Natsu's been eyeing it since they walked in.

"Just one bite," Natsu pleads, already salivating at the massive chicken legs he can see from here. "Just one and will get back on it."

Lucy shakes her head, tightening the grip she has on his arm. "We're on a mission! They asked us to guard their prom, not eat all their food!"

'Really,' she adds mentally, looking around for any suspicious characters. 'I know you didn't pay attention when Maser described what was going on, but you could at least act like you know how to behave here.'

Lucy rolls her eyes as he loosens the tie she forced him into but doesn't stop him. The proper look didn't fit him anyway. In fact, she can already see the girls starting to look their way again, this time focusing on Natsu…who is picking his ear and looking mildly disinterested. 'Better luck next time.'

"So…what now?" Natsu asks, sulking as someone takes the chicken he'd been eyeing. "I don't even get why we have to guard them. It's just some prom, right?"

"These are Lobel kids." Lucy gets a blank look. "_The_ Lobel. The one that had their school destroyed because _somebody_can't hold back so they have to have their prom here." She gives Natsu a stern look. "They're all rich kids. You know, worth a lot if their kidnapped. The school had the best guard system money could buy, but since it was destroyed," another piercing look as Natsu, "Fairy Tail Mages are the next best thing."

A couple pushes passed them, knocking Lucy into the Dragon Slayer. He steadies her easily, getting a smile of gratitude before Lucy goes back to her lecture. Neither of them move away from the close position, continuing the conversation without a care in the world.

Erza and Gray, the other two guards employed tonight, both look at the two who, on all accounts, look like another couple in throng of students.

"When do you think they'll realize?" Erza asks, a soft look on her face as she watches her two friends. "It's been what feels like forever since they fell for each other. If only they'd realize it."

Gray shakes his head, not really caring either way. If the two want to dance around each other like a couple of love-sick puppies afraid to say something, that's their choice. 'Although it is getting annoying to watch,' he thinks, ready to go over there and smack them when a slow songs comes on and they stand there like idiots.

Both Erza and Gray can see them standing silently, cutting small glances at each other to see if one will make a move to dance.

"I say Natsu's figured it out," Erza whispers, nudging Gray to get his attention. "He knows he's in love but is waiting for Lucy, who's still not sure, to do something."

Gray snorts. "No way. Lucy's too smart to not be able to figure it out. She's an author and a reader! Wouldn't she know if what's she's feeling is love from all those books?" Erza rolls her eyes at the argument. "I bet she's waiting for some sign from that idiot."

"No way," Erza scoffs. "She's too naïve to figure it out without help, and we've all been letting them figure it out on their own. It's killing Mirajane"

"Lucy's not stupid. Natsu is," Gray retorts. "Look at them! Lucy is obviously waiting for him to do something. He's probably looking at the buffet behind her!"

They quickly dissolve into an argument, scaring off some studetns that were hanging around them. They don't notice the sly look directed at them.

Lucy smirks as she sees the other two guards arguing, completely forgetting about her and Natsu. "Let's go," she whispers into Natsu's ear, pecking him on the cheek. "They're not paying attention."

Natsu grins and throws his arm around Lucy's shoulder, pulling her closer as they head for the door. He leans down and gently kisses her. "Love you."

"Love you too."


	26. No More Eggnog

**Disclaimer:** **Don't be irreplaceable; if you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.**

**Man, I hated doing this. You can find the OC I drew here.** mikkiphantomhive. deviantart gallery/?offset=24#/d5497gf

**DATE : July 15  
THEME : Parody  
SETTING : Fairy Hills  
CHARACTERS: YOUR FAIRY BLITZ OC  
PROMPT : Christmas**

Mik Scheel woke up out of her eggnog- induced sleep to use the restroo,, dreams of presents halted for the moment. She carefully moved around the other girls sleeping around her, the ground creaking. She accidentally nudges a few people by accident, but no one wakes up.

The hall light is still on, leading her to the bathroom. "Why does it have to be on the other side of the house," she groans, staggering along. She passes the large tree decorated with lights and ornaments near the fire place, not processing that Santa had left presents under the tree in her dazed state.

"Sweet relief!" Mik flies into the bathroom, sighing in content. She quickly washes her hands once she's done and heads back, only to stop at the strangest sight she's ever seen. A green hairy man with a dog that has a singe antler tied to its head is stuffing their presents in a sack.

Mik reroutes to the kitchen for a glass of water, blinking. 'What was in that eggnog?' She greedily downs the water and waits a few minutes for it to settle before trying to get back again. Now the man is stuffing the tree up the chimney.

They stare at each other, neither blinking. "You don't look like a who," the green man remarks.

"A what?" She shakes her head. "I'm a mage."

"Oh." He looks at the tree and bag full of presents. "Whoops." He places the now lopsided tree back, the star that was on top falling. "Sorry about that." He dumps the presents out of his bag before retreating out the chimney without a word.

Mik stares up after him before returning to bed. 'No more eggnog for me.'


	27. She's Got a Gun

**Disclaimer: When in doubt, mumble.**

**DATE : July 16**  
**THEME : humor**  
**SETTING : Gun Range**  
**CHARACTERS : Alzack & Bisca**  
**PROMPT : Love**

**~AlzackxBisca**

_Bam!_

The bullet blows a hole in the stomach.

Bam!

The bullet tears through the heart.

_Bam!_

Head shot.

_Bam!_

Right in the groin.

All the men at the gun range flinch as Bisca fires her last shot, a few even covering their crotches out of fear. The bullet shell clinks to the floor at her feet, echoing in the silent room. Everyone stopped to watch the pissed female shooter blow away ten target dummies in under a minute, always finishing them off with a shot to the groin.

'Stupid Alzack!' Bisca roars mentally, reloading her gun and taking down another target dummy. 'We finally set up a date and he doesn't show!' The head falls off the target dummy, rolling eerily across the floor. 'What's wrong with him! God, I wish I didn't love that son of a- ugh!' She gets a quick shot in the crotch in before they switch in a new dummy.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she screams in time with her shots, body not even jerking back from the recoil.

"Bisca!"

"What!" The woman rounds on the person calling her name, gun loaded and aiming low. Everyone besides her new target, Alzack, jumps back. "What do you what?" she sneers, but he can see she's faking, hiding her hurt. "I thought you stood me up. Now you here an hour late?"

Alzack starts forward, mentally kicking himself for hurting her so much. He puts his hands on the gun and pushes the nozzle to face the floor, Bisca letting him. "I didn't stand you up. This is the wrong range."

Bisca blinks, her checks flushing in embarrassment as she thinks back to all the dummies she killed in her rage. "Oh…."

Alzack moves forward and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I would never hurt you. I lo- like you a lot." He pulls her into a hug, turning his face away so she doesn't see his flush.

'That was close.'

Bisca smiles, returning the embrace. "I like you a lot too."

"Aw~!" All the people in the room sigh, beaming at the happy couple…that is until they pick back up their guns and viciously kill the target dummies at high speed. 'Dangerous!'


	28. Bonding Time I Think?

**Disclaimer: In life there are times to fight, times to run, and times to sit back and laugh as others fail.**

**DATE : July 17  
THEME : Humor  
SETTING : Fish Shop  
CHARACTERS : Pantherlily & Happy  
PROMPT : Best friend**

Happy stares longingly through the window of the shop, mouth dripping with saliva. The cat is almost licking the glass in hunger. It just hangs there in the window, begging him to eat it with pleading eyes. He can already taste that massive fish three times his size on his tongue. Happy wants to wheep at the injustice of its price: half a million course he doesn't have that kind of money!

Lily stares blankly at his campanion for the evening as he steadily beats his head against the glass of a fish shop, moaning about the unfairness of life. 'I know they want me to become better friends with Happy on the small hope that Gajeel and Natsu won' t fight as much if we get along, but we have nothing in common. This is a waste of time!'

"Is it really that impressive?" Lily asks curiously, giving the fish a disinterested look. There were bigger fish in Edolas, but he doesn't think mentioning it to Happy would be wise.

Happy rounds on him, eyes flashing in challenge. "Of course! Just look at it!" The blue cat throws his arms out, gesturing to the fish as if it was a grand prize on a game show. "But...but..." His eyes fill with tears, much to the alarm of Lily. "I can't have it!" he wails.

Lily stands there awkawrdly, not sure what to do. The shop owner comes out, clearly disgusted. Lily can't be happier...until the guy talks.

"Get out of here!' he demands, trying to shoo the two away like they're flith. "Get, now! This is bad for my business." Happy starts to protest, but the man's glare intesifies as magic springs to life from his hand. He aims at the two cats, eyes merciless.

Lily glares at him, but leads the heart-broken Happy away. 'Someone should put him in his place. Threatening us without a second thought like that for no reason...revolting.'

"I wish Natsu was here," Happy sniffs, looking glumly at the ground. "He'd know what to do." Happy doesn't notice Lily's slow smile.

'Natsu..huh?' Lily thinks about the loose canon and what he'd possibly do to someone like that. The cat smiled, the grin tinted with evil.

"I have a plan."

+...+

"You little-"

Lily and Happy dash out of the shop with the ginat, the owner tripping over the goat and camel the cats used in their plan. They strip off thier trench coats, clown noses, and fake mustaches so their wings are free and take off from the ground. The owner tries to shot them out of the sky, but his attacks falls short. In a last-ditch effort, he begens chasing the two on foot, slamming into people as he tries to push through the crowd while keeping the two in sight. It's not long before they lose him.

Lily and Happy collapse a short time later on top of the guild, thier wings dissapearing. Happy stares at the fish, drool sliding from his mouth. He sits down in front of it, mouth wide to take a bite. Lily gives a small smile at the other cat but frowns in confusion when Happy stops and looks over.

Happy looks between the fish and Lily, a pained expression on his face. It looks like he's being tortured. Lily waits patiently. Finally, he looks over to Lily. "You can have the first bite," he says like it physically hurts him.

Lily blinks. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Happy insists, flinching at the thought. "Anything for my new friend. It was your plan anyway."

'Friend?' Lily shoves his face in the fish so Happy can't see the small flush of embarrassment. He rips off a mouthful, Happy digging in as soon as he sees Lily took a bite. 'Friend, huh?' He looks at the blue cat beside him and smiles. 'Why not?'


	29. Fun in a Forest

**Disclaimer: Always give 100% at work: 12% Monday, 23% Tuesday, 40% Wednesday, 20% Thursday, 5% Friday**

**DATE : July 18  
THEME : Romance  
SETTING : Forest/River  
CHARACTERS : YOUR CHOICE / YOUR OC (There's no OC in this one)  
PROMPT : River  
~JellalxErza  
~AU**

"Erza! Wait up!" Erza doesn't turn around, keeping her head high in the air and back rigid with anger as she walks. Jellal trails behind, barely able to follow her down the path. He lost sight of her a few minutes ago, but still pursues her. "Come on! Slow down! I said I was sorry!"

That was the wrong thing to say.

Erza swings around, crossing her arms and waiting for Jellal, who continues to yell for her since he can't see her yet. She assumes a position most would liken to a murderous Amazon Queen as he gets closer.

At first, Jellal grins and waves, figuring she's finally forgiven him. Then he sees her posture and gulps. 'I am so screwed.' He debates running away, but that would leave her rage to fester until the next time he saw her. That was even worse. The last and only time he let her simmer, his PS2 ended up in a tree.

So the dead man continues his walk of doom, head bowed to try and still her anger.

Jellal stops in front of her, waiting. There was no use saying anything yet with her. He's not sure of her level of anger. Depending on it, he'll act accordingly. The sooner she forgives him, the better.

"You think sorry will cut it?" Erza demands finally. Her strong voice echoes around the forest, bouncing off the trees to make it seem even bigger.

To his credit, Jellal doesn't flinch. He's grown used to it over the years they've been friends and knows there's no way out of this. He has to fight back. "I don't see why it shouldn't," he says, looking up to meet her gaze.

Erza looks away, slight red tinting her cheeks as she touches her lips. "But you…I didn't…" She stops to think, letting the quietness of the forest wash over her. Leaves fall around them, barely louder than a breath. The river babbles on close by, smoothly moving. "Why did you do it?"

Jellal gives her a blank stare. "I kiss you and you want to know why?"

Erza goes redder at the word _kiss_."Y-yeah!"

He can't help it. Erza's flushed face, her stuttering, her deer-in-a-headlight attitude. Jellal bursts out laughing, scaring all the wildlife that was close by. Erza jumps and tries to summon anger, but she's still flustered, making her expression even more comical.

"It's…I thought it was obvious!" Jellal wheezes. "I've…I've liked you…for a year!" He tries to shove the laughter down with his hand by throwing it over his mouth, but it does little to stifle the sound.

Erza backs up as he reaches for her, still on emotional over drive. Excuse her for being a little confused after her best friend for ten years suddenly kisses her in the middle of the forest!

"Ah!"

Jellal's not really sure what happened. One minute he was trying to get support before he falls on the ground in laughter, and the next Erza's gone, water flying up. He blinks stupidly at the space she was, a few chuckles still escaping him. Then he looks down and loses it all over again.

Erza looks like a drowned rat. Her crimson hair is sticking all over her face, half of the now tangled mess covering her eye. Fabric sticks out at odd places, clinging around her waist togive her an odd shape. At least she wasn't wearing a skirt today.

"Are…are you…" Jellal can't even get the words out from his doubled-over state. Today has really been very interesting. For the handful of times since he's known her, Jellal's seeing Erza really be herself. Not cool and confident, but insecure.

His laughter irks Erza. She glares at him, really to grab a pebble at the bottom of the small river and throw it at him, but then she gets a better idea. Before he can process what she's doing, Erza dashes forward and grabs his shirt, pulling him in with her.

Jellal gasps as the cold water surrounds him, all sound replaced with the light whooshing of the flow of water as it moves around him. He breaks the surface as fast as he can, the sounds replaced with Erza's laugh. It takes a good-natured moment, but he stars to laugh with her.

The sound echoes around the forest, mixing with the sounds of the river. Jellal slyly moves closer to her as they laugh, Erza clueless as she leans against the side of the river, panting for breath.

Gradually, her laugh falls into pants for breath. Erza rests her head down, closing her eyes as she breaths deeply, wrinkling her nose when dirt flies up in her face.. Still unaware of Jellal, her eyes flutter open in surprise when his hand touches her check.

Jellal kisses her slowly, just testing the waters (no pun intended). Erza blinks. She doesn't move away. Really doesn't do much of anything. The deer in the headlights expression is back.

"So," Jellal asks, pulling away. "Want to go out sometime? We could go swimming?"

Erza can only laugh.

**Thank you to those who review!**


	30. Come Back

**Disclaimer: Forgot to update yesterday. Sorry!**

**DATE : July 19**  
**THEME : Angst**  
**SETTING : Desert**  
**CHARACTERS : Natsu**  
**PROMPT : Rage**

'No…No! Nonononono! Not again! I can't take this! Why? Why, damn it!'

A jet of fire soars into the air, lighting up the black desert sky. Yellows, oranges, and red swirl around in a vortex, eating each other as they climb higher into the air. A roar highlights them, so loud and painful you'd think an animal was being slaughtered. It echoes out across the dry land, but only a few animals are there to here it.

There are no dragons.

There's no Igneel.

Natsu collapses as the fire slowly fades to nothing. All his energy is gone, and he can't move. Not that he wants to. Why should he? It's been half a year since Igneel left him; Natsu's been trying to chase him down. It's not like he as anywhere to go besides whatever town he can find. All he does is listen to rumors and eat when he can before setting off again.

And failing again.

His hands claw at the sand around him, uncaring when a burst of wind sprays it in his face. It's silent enough for him to hear his own harsh breathing. His breath starts catching in his throat like he's going to cry, but he holds it down.

'What do I do now?' Natsu rolls on his back, staring up at the sky. He imagines Igneel, swooping down to pick him up so they can go back home. Igneel would promise to never leave again, and he'd teach Natsu some more cool fire moves. Maybe he'd learn more letters.

A harsh laugh cuts across his fantasy. It takes a second for Natsu to realize it was his own. 'Who am I kidding? He's not coming back…never…'

Natsu physically feels pain at the thought of being alone forever. He screams as lund as he can when his damaged throat, punching the sand with his fist. "Igneel!" he yells, over and over. "Igneel! Please! Please…come back…" Voice breaking, Natsu curls in on himself. He closes his eyes to sleep, body exhausted.

His dreams are filled with memories of him and Igneel playing, everything good in the world. When he wakes up, he starts out for the next town without a word.


	31. Trapped

**Disclaimer: Death is hereditary.  
**

**DATE : July 20**  
**THEME : Drama**  
**SETTING : Dark Forest**  
**CHARACTERS : Midnight**  
**PROMPT : Trapped**

+Please note he's a child+

'Where...Where am I?'

Midnight sits up, rubbing his sore head. He looks around in confusion at the darkness and small chirps of bugs. Why is he outside and not in his bed? And for that matter, why does the frigid ground feel like it's swaying?

With a cry of surprise, Midnight is suddenly pitches forward, his pale face connecting with hard metal. Iron bars to be exact.

"Seems one of them woke up," someone grunts like it's the biggest bother in the world. Midnight squints then opens his eyes as wide as he can, but he can't see who's talking even though the voice sounds extremely close. If he watches closely, he can see a shadow shift near by, but for all he knows it's a tree.

"Knock him out ag-hey!" Midnight jumps at the suddenly booming voice. "Damn it! One of them escaped!"

There's another agitated sigh before a sound like a gunshot bursts next to Midnight's ear. A bright line of light darts through the darkness, illuminating trees and grass for a moment as it travels. It's path suddenly stops as it explodes into the shape of a human. A cry of pain is heard before the light vanishes, chilling Midnight to his core.

As if the person can sense his fear, he taps on the cage Midnight is in. "That's what'll happen to you if you run. Poof! Gone." Midnight can imagine the sadistic grin when they say, "Just a shot of pain before you vanish. No one will ever find your ashes."

The cage is lifted into the air before slamming hard into the back of a truck, the sound echoing. Midnight can hear other's breathing and calls out, but no one answers. They're all sleeping.

The back doors of the truck are slammed shut. The vehicle starts moving soon after. Midnight lays down in a ball, shaking from the cold. He shuts his eyes and tries to sleep, but the cry of the killed person echoes in his head.

All through the night, Midnight doesn't fall asleep once.


	32. Star Wars?

**Disclaimer: Thank you to all that review!**

**DATE : July 21**  
**THEME : Science Fiction**  
**SETTING : The Celestial World**  
**CHARACTERS : Crux & Capricorn**  
**PROMPT : Riddle**

Lucy is a bit surprised when she wakes up floating in the Celestial World without the aid of any magic or other force. Just a bit. But the Celestial Spirits zooming around on small space bikes trying to kill each other are new.

A few spirits she doesn't know zoom by her with crazy eyes, uncaring of her amazed stare. One that see assumes to be a girl despite the rock-colored skin, third eye, and six fingers even laughs. Loki soars by as well with the King next to him, both wielding light sabers as they fight savagely.

"I am your father!" the King roars, swinging at Loki. He narrowly misses at thrusts his saber forward.

'O~kay! It seems this place as finally gone nuts,' Lucy sighs.

A massive space ship floats by her leisurely, guns blasting down spirits. The bottom compartment suddenly opens, revealing Crux sleeping on one of the space bikes. The engine suddenly flares to life, and Crux stays asleep as it auto-steers itself to rest in front of Lucy.

After a few minutes of expectant waiting, the Celestial Mage snaps her fingers to jolt Crux awake. "How is a goat like a lion?" he mutters.

Capricorn and Loki both appear next to the spirit, now fighting. They all look expectantly at Lucy, who looks back and forth between them in confusion. The world continues to move around them, getting stranger and stranger as it goes.

"Give up?" Loki asks, still fighting. Lucy nods, defeated. The spirit moves closer to Lucy and bends down to whisper in her ear, "They're both part of your dream." He pushes her shoulder, and Lucy suddenly finds herself twirling through space, nothing to grab onto as-

"Ah!"

Lucy jumps awake, breathing heavily. She pushes her hair out of her face, looking around in conformation it was all a dream. The room is dark except for the TV playing Star Wars. Lucy laughs at the irony. 'That's the last time I watch Star Wars before bed.'


	33. Journey

**Disclaimer: Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult**

**DATE : July 22  
THEME : Science Fiction  
SETTING : The Celestial World  
CHARACTERS: Your Fav Celestial Spirits (which is Loki)  
PROMPT : Riddle**

Loki cautiously crept forward, gulping. He's parched, throat drier than a desert, and swallowing causes more harm than good. The very thought of water feels life-saving at this point.

His footsteps echo in the darkness, the loud creaking of the floor echoing of the pale walls. Loki scowls in annoyance, hating being so loud. He's a lion for goodness sake! How could an amazing predator like him seem to make so much noise?

'And be this clumsy?' he adds mentally, stopping his journey to rub his now stubbed toe. You'd think he'd be able to see in the dark, but nope! Well, he could've used some of his magic, but Loki was just too lazy. He wasn't in any real danger!

…Maybe…

Cat's eyes that barely glow watch him approach, widening in joy. 'Prey!' Without a sound, the creature slides back into place and waits patiently. You can't rush these kinds of things after all.

The lights flick on, making the creature hiss and Loki jump in surprise. It takes him a moment to process exactly what he's seeing, but, once he does, he just sighs in annoyance.

"Sphinx," Loki growls, "what are you doing in my house in front of my fridge?" He throws his hands up in the air. "And for that matter, how are you in the Celestial World! You're not even a constellation!"

Sphinx hides her agitation at his outburst, clearing her throat before speaking in a commanding tone. "I am the great Sphinx! None have ever bested me!" Loki rolls his eyes. "None have ever bested me," she repeats in a flat voice edged with sadness and anger. "Now answer my riddle or go thirsty!"

Loki points to the sink. "You know I could just-"

"What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the evening, and three legs at night!" Sphinx announces grandly, the effect ruined by how fast and loud she says it. Her lips tug in a smirk, "If you get it wrong, I get to eat-"

"A human," Loki answers apathetically. "Can I get to my fridge now? I'm thirsty."

Sphinx, to her credit, looks believably shocked that someone answered her right. "H-how?" she stutters. Loki just pushes her out of the way and opens his fridge. "No one has ever-"

"Want some ice cream?"

"…What flavor?"

"Cookie dough."

"…Yes."


	34. Rescue

**Disclaimer: Insert witty one-liner here.  
**

**DATE : July 23**  
**THEME : Mystery**  
**SETTING : Blue Pegasus Guild**  
**CHARACTERS : Eve Tearm & Ren Akatsuki**  
**PROMPT : Rescue**

"Emergency! Guys! This is an emergency! Look out!"

People in the halls of the Blue Pegasus Guild jump out of the way as Eve and Ren come charging passed, faces drawn into a panic. All exchange worried looks, never having seen either suave boy like this before. What could put them in such a panic?

The two race down the halls of the guild, swerving around the people who don't notice them or react in time to move. Few process Hibiki walking the same path the other two are at a much slower pace, a more laid-back attitude around him.

Everyone jumps at the sound of a bomb going off, which is really just Eve and Ren slamming open the door to the room they usually relax in. It's almost a bedroom for the three, since all three have fallen asleep in the room more than once.

It's decorated to the brim with things most people would find in a host club or lounge. Plush couches and chairs, a nice TV with surround sound, and a magic perfume in the air that smells like whatever an individual wants.

The two furiously search for…something, Eve separating from Ren to go check the adjourning room that belongs to Ichiya. It's even more done up than the other room.

Not finding what they're looking for, Ren and Eve fly back out of the room, thundering down the halls to their next destination. Hibiki, however, peers into the room they just exited with a thoughtful expression.

The whole guild is quickly turned upside down with Ren and Eve's searching, no one getting an answer as to why. The two only reply about it being an emergency, though Ren says it in his typical Tsundere way.

Every room is burst into and boarder-line destroyed in the apparent 'rescue mission.' A few people are on edge, wondering exactly what's going on and whether it really is dangerous, but most dismiss it. The others would tell them if it was life or death…right?

Scratch that. Most of the guild is on edge as they watch them run around. The master is completely relaxed though, trusting the boys completely if life or death really is the situation. At least, that's what he clams as he evacuates the building.

Hibiki walks calmly out of Ichiya's room, rolling his eyes at the people nervously exiting the building. Ren and Eve dash passed him, backtracking when they realize what was in his hands!

"Way to go!" Eve yells, eyes shining in admiration.

"…Good job," Ren mutters.

Everyone stops and looks curiously at the toilet paper in Hibiki's hands. "Now we just have to get this to Ichiya, and you guys can stop running around like headless chickens. He just needed some toilet paper."

Needless to say, Blue Pegasus wants to kill the two boys. Eve and Ren both catch wind of the murderous air and run to the roof, getting stuck there to everyone's sick pleasure.

Hibiki give Ichiya the toilet paper, mentally figuring out how to 'rescue' the other two now.


	35. Speechless

**Disclaimer: Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.**

**DATE : July 24**  
**THEME : Humor**  
**SETTING : Spa**  
**CHARACTERS : Ichiya Wanderlei Kotobuki**  
**PROMPT : Massage**

"W-why is he here?" Erza asks, mortified. Her whole body shivers in repulsion as she physically backs away a few steps, eyes unable to look away from the traumatizing event in front of her. "This was supposed to be a relaxing trip with just us. Why is he here?"

"I don't know!" Lucy yells, mirroring Erza's reaction. "But that…that's just wrong! Ugh!" The mage doesn't know if her eyes will ever be the same. Scalding water will never remove the image from her brain.

'If only I had a spirit that could alter memories,' she thought longingly.

It's like a bad train wreck. The two want to look away but can't. If only someone would grab their attention-

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" Natsu asks, Gray trailing behind him.

Both the boys jump in surprise and confusion when Erza and Lucy yell simultaneously, "Ah! My eyes!" They turn around, showing their backs to the doorway and hiding their faces in the wall.

Natsu, confused at the reaction (was it something I said?), peers through the doorway. He squints, eyes trying to adjust to the darker room. It takes him a few moments, but, when he sees it, the Dragon Slayer's jaw hits the ground in horror.

Gray raises an eyebrow when Natsu doesn't move or talk for a while five minutes. He regards the doorway with suspicion, wondering what could be so bad. Is it worth the risk? Gray looks at Lucy and Erza, who refuse to move, and the still frozen Natsu.

After a moment, he calls out to Natsu.

Natsu doesn't' t move. It's like an earthquake could hit and the boy would completely ignore it as the ground under him crumbled.

Gray looses patience and stalks forward. 'What could be so b- my eyes!"

Ichiya looks up from his belly-down position on the massage table. The towel that covered him…is on the ground next to him. 'They must be speechless with my beauty.'


	36. Determination

**Disclaimer: These get shoter and shorter.  
**

**DATE : July 25**  
**THEME : Mystery**  
**SETTING : Alleyway**  
**CHARACTERS : Millianna**  
**PROMPT : Night & Day**

Millianna stares hungrily at two perfect cats shinning in the light on the sidewalk from her perch on a dumpster. Why is she on a dumpster located in an alley? It's the best place to find cats of course! The store that sells the most delicious fish in town is right next door.

The cats are pure opposites, the pelts like night and day. The white cat as an air of superiority and loftiness, like a princess. Her sharp eyes take in everything around her with a cool indifference that gives her an entrancing air.

The black cat has rounder ears than the other, giving him a much cuter appearance that doesn't math well the threatening atmosphere he gives off. It's as if he's a soldier and she's his princess! Even though he's a cat, Millianna doesn't doubt he could kick her butt.

Millianna can stare at them all day. She'll happily pick them up and take them home, but- alas!- they have owners! No stray cat is that well fed. She burnd with envy wondering who could possess such amazing cats! They must be the ultimate cat lover! She wants one of her own!

"Carla! Lily! Let's go!" Millianna couldn't stop her jaw from hitting the floor as two Dragon Slayers called for those beauteous cats and the cats ran to them!

'Is that what it takes?'

+…+

"Millianna? Where are you going?"

Millianna readjusts her massive bag packed with all the essentials, waving good-bye to her guild. "I'm going to find a dragon so they can teach me to be a Dragon Slayer so I can get a cat!"


	37. Imagination isn't Always Better

**Disclaimer: If you see a plate of bacon running down the street screaming "HELP ME!" please return it to me. It's totally overreacting.**

**DATE : July 26**  
**THEME : Fantasy**  
**SETTING : Beach**  
**CHARACTERS : Jenny Realight**  
**PROMPT : Kiss  
~HibikixJenny**

Jenny leans towards being a stereotypical female mage. She loves shopping, spending hours looking at clothes and different magical items, longingly if they're too expensive. Make-up is a must before she goes out anywhere. She didn't get into Sorcerer's Weekly by taking a day off. And, more than anything, she loves boys.

She's not boy-crazy by any means, but that doesn't mean she doesn't appreciate a good-looking guy when she sees one. It doesn't stop her from going on dates, and it certainly doesn't stop her from getting a massive crush on Hibiki.

It's not just his looks- Jenny's not that shallow, thank you very much- but the way he talks to her. Not like she's a girl and he's a boy or she's a model and he's a brain, but like a close friend he's always happy to see. It irritates her and attracts her at the same time.

Of course, those pesky things called hormones decide to visit her, leaving her to think about what it would be like to kiss him. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Hey, everyone's entitled to that one moment of pure fantasy, and Jenny is amazing at milking it.

The scene she thinks of it always on a beach. Why? Who knows. It's not sunset- way too cliché for her- but in the middle of the day where everything seems so much lighter.

They'll just be enjoying themselves when they met eyes, Hibiki suddenly seeing something he hadn't before. His eyes would flicker briefly to her lips, making Jenny smile. That beautiful smile would make him realize that maybe friends isn't all he wants to be.

Hibiki will slowly lean forward, silently asking permission with his eyes before slowly pressing his lips to hers. It'll be a second before Jenny responds, but it'll be the best kiss ever.

And then Jenny snaps back to reality and continues with life, dismissing the generic fantasy and wonder if Hibiki really ever will kiss her.

When he does, it's not anywhere romantic. It's not spontaneous, but it's not unplanned. It's not a kiss to burn down the heavens or flawless, but it's better than Jenny ever imagined because it's flawed and real, just like him.


	38. Find a Story

**Disclaimer: Using Latin phrases to sound smart is my modus operandi.**

**DATE : July 27**  
**THEME : Science Fiction**  
**SETTING : Park**  
**CHARACTERS : Lucy**  
**PROMPT : Writing**

'I need an idea. Not just any idea, but an awesome idea. One that will win me title as one of the greatest writers ever in history!'

A young, fourteen-year-old Lucy sits out on a park bench, notebook open and ready in her lap. A pencil is held loosely in her hand over the blank pages, ready to write a masterpiece, but Lucy's mind has decided now to go as white as the pages.

'Come on…think!' Lucy sighs and looks up at the clouds, frowning that she can't see the stars. 'I was told to think of what I know, which is stars, but I can't see them. Why can't they be visible…during the day!'

It's by no means a great story, but it's not bad either. If she were a little more experienced, Lucy would have a good read on her hands. The concept is leaning towards simple- stars start to appear in the sky in the middle of the day. Each time a star appears during the day, a human switches with a spirit- but the technicalities it requires are a bit too much for a newbie.

Lucy gets to ten pages before she sighs and looks back, shaking her head at the story. 'No one will like this,' she moans to herself, a bit of self-doubt eating at her. Maybe she's not cut out to be a writer after all.

Lucy looks at all the couple walking the park, a few more ideas springing in her mind, but she deems none of them interesting enough to work on.

One man has a robo-dragon on his shirt, inspiring Lucy to turn to a fresh page and write two more stories down.

The first is as simple as possible: the old robot falls in love with human and gains emotions. Surprisingly, it's a real tear-jerker. Too much of a tear-jerker. Even Lucy, who thinks it could actually be published as a short story, turns her head away in sorrow.

'I can't believe I wrote that! It's so...depressing.'

The next one has some level of appeal to her personally. It's about a dragon that is transformed into a hot-headed boy and goes on adventures with a smart, shrimpy side-kick and leading lady. So Lucy likes hot-heads. Oh well.

Her escort for the evening calls her oven, claiming it's becoming too late to stay. Lucy puts up little resistance, but looks longingly at the park from the window. She even turns around in her seat to look back, feeling her creative mood shift into off.

She comes back to the park many times, a few of which are used to write miscellaneous adventures about her dragon boy.

Later, when Lucy's joined Fairy Tail, she'll find her old notebook and smile at the childish stories. There's one little story about a dragon boy that makes her laugh every time she sees it. After all, her most recent logs of her adventures with Natsu she intends to publish seem to be almost parallel to her old story.

It seems she's found her years ago. Lucy only needed a certain hot-head to make it better.


	39. Small Slip

**Disclaimer: Short as heck. Can you tell I had no idea what to write?  
**

**DATE : July 28**  
**THEME : Friendship**  
**SETTING : Ice cream shop**  
**CHARACTERS : Sherry Blendy & Chelia Blendy**  
**PROMPT : Summer**

Chelia knows it's coming before it happens, but she's helpless to stop it. She tries to prevent it, but it's not use. Her ice cream flies in the air as her foot slides out from under her. It takes little time for the ice cream to land.

Sherry knows she can't laugh. Laughing would make the situation so much worse for Chelia, but it just looks so ridiculous! There's rainbow ice cream dripping from her hair into her face, a few drops falling into her mouth that's opened in surprise. Her face, not sure whether to be flustered or shocked, has a mix of emotions to it.

A few people that are passing them snicker. Some offer a sympathetic glance, wiping the sweat of their faces. Some nod knowingly, remembering sliding on the artificial ice the ice cream shop puts out front every summer to offer some sanctuary from the sun.

Chelia sighs, wiping some of the ice cream off her face. "Go ahead and laugh. I know it's part of your love." She grins, flicking a piece of the cone off her nose and sticking her tongue out. "At least the ice cream still tastes good."

Sherry can see right through the fake smile to the stark embarrassment underneath. Chelia knows she's clumsy and has accepted it, but the embarrassment she feels during her worse spills hasn't faded.

Sherry extends a hand to the girl, giving her a soft smile. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone this happened." She winks as Chelia takes her hand. "It'll be a secret of our love as friends…'kay?"

Grateful, Chelia stands up. Sherry offers her a bite of her own ice cream, which she happily takes.


	40. Shack of Horror

**Disclaimer: It's actually horror this time (kinda) instead of Aquarius trolling.  
**

**DATE : July 29  
THEME : Horror  
SETTING : Forest/Porlyusica's Home  
CHARACTERS: YOUR CHOICE (Wendy)  
PROMPT : Eyes**

"Porlyusica?" Wendy calls, knocking on the old woman's door. She waits patiently before knocking again, a little more anxious this time. "Porlyusica? Are you home?" Silence. Timidly, Wendy calls, "Grandine?"

Nothing.

Cautiously, Wendy tries the doorknob. What if Gr- er, Porlyusica is hurt and she can't get to the door? She's not the youngest witch in the forest. It turns without resistance, the door swinging in to allow Wendy a look inside.

It's dark; there's no Porlyusica. Things bubble and froth in beakers, both grossing out and interesting Wendy. Never really seeing Porlyusica in action, she's curious as to what these do. Cure colds? Make fish? Let you see the future? Each thought just gets more and more ridiculous.

Checking over her shoulder, Wendy enters. She squeezes her eyes shut, half expecting some kind of alarm that senses humans to go off, but all is silent.

Wendy jumps about a foot in the air, sucking in an 'eep!' of fear as a frog croaks from somewhere in the room. She pauses, eyes flickering back towards the door. She can still leave. It's not like she needs medicine. She just wantes to see Porlyusica to thank her.

'I'll leave a note," Wendy decides in a burst of inspiration. She moves farther in, more confident now that she has a purpose, and looks around for blank paper and some kind of pencil.

It takes a moment, but Wendy finally finds some paper placed under a beaker. Carefully, she grab the glass beaker, surprised at how heavy it actually is. She tugs harder, her hands slipping off it. Frustrated, the Dragon Slayer gives it one final yank.

A thin, invisible reel of sting attached to the beaker snaps at the force, a hidden compartment in the ceiling falling open.

Wendy glances over guiltily as something plops to the floor. 'I better go put that back.' She recoils when she bends to pick up the round object, shocked at the wetness of it. Mustering up her nerve, Wendy picks it up and moves into the light.

Staring back at her is her own eye.


	41. Discovering Yaoi

**Disclaimer: *Insert evil laugh here*  
**

**DATE : July 30**  
**THEME : Humor**  
**SETTING : The Book Store**  
**CHARACTERS : Rouge Cheney & Sting Eucliffe**  
**PROMPT : Family**

"Why am I here, Rogue?" Sting whines, glaring around the bookstore with distaste. "No one really likes it in here, right? Books are so dumb." Hard-core readers give the Dragon Slayer nasty looks he nearly flinches at.

Rouge, only half paying attention to his friend, waves him off. "Most of us don't have the reading level of a child. If you really want to entertain yourself, go in the very back to the comic book section. Don't get lost."

Sting is left to splutter indignantly at the insult, Rogue in a straight path for the classical literature section. Grumbling, he heads back to the comics. It doesn't take long for him to get sucked into one tilted 'Rave Master.'

'This guy's a genius!' Sting thinks, looking at the drawings with a sense of awe that has the few other people in the section with him inching away. 'I wonder if he drew any others…'

A title next to 'Rave Master' catches his eye, the font like slashes on the spine. He pulls it out, raising an eye at the feminine men on the cover with a flowery background. Odd, but they have weapons too. 'How bad could it be?' Curious, he opens it and immediately freezes.

"Wha…_What the hell!?_"

Rogue looks up from his book as his friend's voice echoes through the store. 'What did he do?' Sighing, he heads back to the comic section to find an open-mouthed, shaking Sting. "What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, Sting hands the book over to Rogue. It takes a moment for Rogue to process exactly what he's seeing.

There are two guys kissing…while naked...and the page next to it is even worse.

Rogue snaps the comic shut and slides it back on the shelf, withdrawing his hand as soon as possible like it burns him. The Dragon Slayers exchange looks before soundlessly exiting the bookstore and going back to the guild.

"Let's never talk about this," Rogue mutters before they separate into their separate rooms. Sting nods.

They never go into that bookstore again.


	42. Stare Down

**Disclaimer: I got nothing.  
**

**DATE : July 31**  
**THEME : Suspense**  
**SETTING : The Dragon World**  
**CHARACTERS : Igneel & Metalicana**  
**PROMPT : Dragons**

It was about to be a battle of epic proportions. If any humans were in the dragon world to witness it, they would've either run to shelter or stayed at the risk of their own lives. Historians would rush for paper, greedily recording the sight.

They would undoubtedly note the grandness of the dragons, the way they held themselves so human it would stun on-lookers. An air of challenge circled around them, similar to what you'd find in any mage battle. They're almost like standing next to raw magic in the sheer power they give off.

Deep, rumbling growls that seem to vibrate the ground come from the back of Igneel and Metalicana's throats. It would run up the human's bone and shake them to the core; Historians would liken it to a controlled earthquake.

Muscles are tensed in preparation to attack, clawing glinting wickedly. Eyes are locked in a fierce staring contest, neither dragon blinking. The fight will start as soon as one blinks. Not one word was exchanged to agree on those terms. It's just an undeniable fact.

People wouldn't have dared to breath in fear of the gaze turning to them and cutting them in half like lazars. Some would run, regretting the decision to stay. Others would smile in mad anticipation. Historians would watch as unbiased as they could, but all would record with a sense of wonder in their words.

All sound stops, everyone jumping at the sudden silence. No one moves.

Metalicana blinks, and a battle begins.


	43. Wrong

**Disclaimer: Forgot to upload yesterday. -_-'  
**

**DATE : August 1  
THEME : Angst  
SETTING : Desert/Sand Storm  
CHARACTERS : Grandine & Wendy  
PROMPT : Sapphire**

"Wendy, stop fidgeting."

The young girl sighs, letting herself fall back onto the desert sand. Even though the night is cold, the sand still holds the warmth of day. The sapphire that had been balanced on the right knee of her crossed legs falls, sinking a bit in the sand.

"I'm sorry, but I can't!" Wendy pouts, noticing Grandine hasn't moved from her meditation position. The dragon's sapphire stays perfectly balanced on her forehead. "Can't we just play? And why are we using a sapphire anyway?"

Grandine cracks one eye open to look down at the girl. A fond sparkle is in her eye like a mother would have for a child. "Sapphire's are used for spiritual enlightenment and inner peace."

Wendy nods importantly like she completely understands, but the dragons can see the confused crease between her eyebrows. "So that's why we're using them for meditation, right?" Grandine nods, amused. "But then why are we meditating? What does that have to do with wind magic?"

"Sapphires are also believed to have healing properties," Grandine explains patiently. "They also are considered an antidepressant. There are some wounds you can't heal, Wendy, because they aren't physical. It may be possible that this sapphire can be 'absorbed' by your magic and used to heal those types of wounds as well."

"Whoa!" Wendy grabs the stone and sits back in her meditation position, concentrating hard on the weight of the stone on her leg. "Will it make me strong like you, Grandine?"

The dragon shakes her head. "I can't heal wounds inside the heart, but you, as a human, might be able to." Grandine settles back down, closing her eyes. "Now…focus."

Wendy tries- she really does- but she relaxes a little too much and falls asleep. Grandine sighs before picking up the girl and flying home, the rocking of her body sending Wendy into an even deeper sleep.

+…+

Curling on her side, Wendy clenches her shirt. The dream- or is it a memory?- is fresh in her mind. Tears prickle in her eyes. Desperate to make it stop, she tries to use her magic to make the pain go away.

'It seems you were wrong, Grandine. I can't heal those kinds of wounds.'


	44. Are we Lost?

Disclaimer: I'm running out of ideas.

DATE : August 2  
THEME : Adventure  
SETTING : Hot Spring  
CHARACTERS : Totomaru  
PROMPT : Fever

Natsu turns the map upside down, eyes squinted in concentration. He looks around the area then back to the map then back up again. A child could easily tell the boy is confused.

"Give me that!" Lucy snaps, grabbing the map off him. "I thought you said you can read it," she huffs, quickly verifying where they are. "We're going the wrong way! It says go west! This way's north!"

"Are you sure?" Natsu asks, readjusting his bag that holds the sleeping Happy. "I'm almost positive the sun rises in the west," he defends. He points at the noon sun in the middle of the sky. "See? So this way is west!"

Lucy shakes her head, facepalming. "No, Natsu. Believe me this way-" she points to her left, "is west."

"I'm telling you, Lucy, that is way is the right way." Stubbornly, Natsu starts forward, leaving Lucy to follow or go completely alone. "Let's just walk a bit and see if Phantom's new base is this way or not."

"But the instructions we got clearly say-"

"Just trust me, Lucy," Natsu begs, looking back at her with puppy eyes. Lucy sighs in defeat before trailing behind him into the woods. "Thanks."

They steadily walk along, Lucy summoning Horologium after ten minutes of an uphill trek. Natsu laughs at her, smiling good-naturedly as he walks. After all, Lucy trusts him! He knows he's right, but it's nice how she's willing to go off the path she thinks is the right one to follow him.

"_Fever! Fever Nights!_"

The off-key singing makes both mages jump in surprise. They look cautiously towards the direction it's coming from, noticing a mist floating out from the trees. Horologium times out, leaving Lucy to fall on her butt. She covers her pained yelp with her hand, creeping forward with Natsu to see who it could be.

Totomaru is relaxing in a hot spring, singing at the top of his lungs. Lucy wisely starts to withdrawal, trying to respect his privacy, but Natsu has a different idea.

"Hey! Totomaru! Long time no see see!" Natsu yells ,coming forward to stand on the edge of the spring. Totomaru's sings stops mid-note. He starts up at the Dragon Slayer in shocked horror. "So we're a little lost-"

Natsu swallows the ball of fire the embarrassed Totomaru pitches at him. "Get out!"

"But we're lost-"

"Get out and I'll take you to the new base!" he yells, a murderous air rolling off him. "Just leave me alone and wait!"

Lucy reaches out of the woods and yanks Natsu back in the shield the trees give so Totomaru can't kill him. 'At least Natsu was right about the direction, though I could've done without seeing Totomaru.'


	45. No one There

**Disclaimer: I like short stories like this.  
**

**DATE : August 3  
THEME : Fantasy  
SETTING : Abandoned Road  
CHARACTERS : Yukino Aguria  
PROMPT : Wings**

Yukino Aguria flies out the window, her body weightless in the air. She extends her arms, relishing in the feel of wind on her skin. The keys hanging from the ring attached to her pocket, clink together as she soars, glimmering in the light of the sun. Anyone looking up would only she the bright, flashing reflection of the keys instead of Yukino.

She flies out of town, looking down at the people traveling. A few look dead on their feet, but a good number are happy and optimistic. They have a spring in their step and joy in their eye as they head out on a mission together.

When was the last time Yukino was so gun-ho about a mission? When was the last time she even trusted those she worked with? It feels like forever ago, another lifetime almost. So much as changed, and the guild seems more like a prison than anything.

Flying a little more ways before stopping, Yukino looks around at the abandoned road she landed on. No one travels this way anymore, the only destination a dead end. There aren't even any footprints in the dust.

When did it get so lonely?

"Yukino! Are you taking the job?"

She jumps a mile in the air, ripping her gaze off the window. "Yeah." She takes the paper describing her task and heads out of the guild alone, no one bothering to say good-bye.


	46. I Don't Need a Fairy Tail

**Disclaimer: I'm so tired. Sorry for any obvious misspellings.  
**

**DATE : August 4  
THEME : Fantasy  
SETTING : Castle  
CHARACTERS: YOUR FAVORITE MALE (Natsu)  
PROMPT : Prince**

**~NatsuxLucy**

Lucy looks of into space, the credits for a standard princess movie highlighting her room. Sighing, she flops back on her bead and stares at the ceiling, thinking about the handsome lead in the movie. Her thoughts drift around, combining with random elements until suddenly she can see herself in the damsel's role, held tower high above by a wicked sorcerer.

She can see the whole set-up! She'll be bored in that tower, long ago stolen away from her loving family by the sorcerer. Forced to spin wool everyday, life will become boring. Just when she thinks she can take no more, her handsome price will come. He'll be tall, strong, dashing, and care about her like no one else. He'll sneak into talk to her, bravely vowing to face the sorcerer's wrath just to make her happy all because he loves her.

Of course, the sorcerer will find out soon and be furious, getting ready to take it out on Lucy since the prince won't be there. She'll be able to dodge the spells for a little while, but there's only so much you can do in the small room she was imprisoned in. She'll eventually get cornered, the sorcerer smiling triumphantly over her as he aims his spell.

The prince will come in the nick of time, pushing the sorcerer away. He'll draw his sword and attack, Lucy cheering him on from the sidelines. The sorcerer will hit his sword with a spell, turning it to dust, but the price of course has a back-up plan.

Before the sorcerer would even blink, he'd run towards the window of the tower, grabbing Lucy on the way. They leap and…

Lucy's writer's brain kicks in.

They can't land on a horse! It'd kill them. And for that matter, how did the price get up there in the first place? Hmm… A dragon! That's it! They jump on the dragon, named Salamander, and fly off into the sunset happily.

But suddenly, that doesn't seem so exciting anymore. It's too cliché for Lucy. Why not have the dragon just be the prince, letting him change from dragon to human?

The story would obviously be different but so much better. The prince would become more impulsive, teasing, and playful. He'd be handsome, sure, but fun to be around. Instead of Salamander…why not make his name be N-

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu yells, bursting into her room with a poster. Lucy snaps out of her thoughts, fighting down a blush at what she'd just been thinking about. "I found a job for us! Let's go!"

Natsu runs back out of the room, leaving Lucy to turn off the TV and start after him. The story lingers in her brain, drawing out a smile. It was far from typical in the direction it was headed, just like her life. Instead of the fairy tale it started as, it became so much more.

Besides, who needs a fairy tale when the real thing is right in front of you?


	47. Partners

**Disclaimer: These prompts get stranger and stranger. Just wait till you see the next one.  
**

**DATE : August 5  
THEME : Friendship  
SETTING : Water Park  
CHARACTERS: Virgo & Gemini  
PROMPT : Vacation**

Virgo lounges on the chair next to the pool, eyes shielded by sunglasses. Gemini plays in the pool, splashing each other as they dive in and out of the water. Each spirit is on edge, not entirely trusting the other.

The rest of the spirits owned by Lucy are elsewhere in the park. Leo and Aries happily catching up, but everyone else is more cautious around the newer spirits that were owned by Angel, remembering how hurt Lucy ended up.

Gemini floats over to Virgo, nudging each other. Neither really wants to wake her, afraid to get on her bad side.

They jump when the spirit pulls back her glasses and look at them. "Can I help you? Is there a problem?"

"Is…Is Lucy a good owner?" Gemini asks, looking at each other uncertainly. "We read in her heart how much she loves us spirits, but it's not good if the spirits don't feel that way as well, right?"

Virgo considers the two before answering honestly, "Lucy-_hime_is one of the best partners I've ever had." Gemini exchange looks at 'partners.' "We are not owned by her but work with her. We all work together." She gestures to all the spirits. "It may take awhile for us to warm up to you, but we all work together."

Gemini nods, going over to the chair next to Virgo and relaxing with her in comfortable silence.


	48. Wait Next Time

Disclaimer: Seriously, how do you make a haircut suspenseful? Maybe if I gave a crap about my hair I'd be able to do this better…

DATE : August 6  
THEME : Suspense  
SETTING : Hair Salon  
CHARACTERS : YOUR CHOICE  
PROMPT : New haircut

Lucy and Levy look around the salon with a hint of awe. They've never seen such a giant building dedicated strictly to hair products…or so many people waiting for a hair cut.

"Why don't you just use Cancer instead of going here?" Levy asks, sighing at the full house. It's going to be an hour's wait at the very least. "Doesn't he usually do your hair? I know this place is good, but you _are_ on a budget."

"Thanks for reminding me," Lucy almost sobs. "Cancer is busy this week, and Natsu and I are about to go out on a long mission. I just want my hair out of my face." She blows her bangs out of her eyes to demonstrate her point, grumbling when it just flops back in her face.

Levy laughs and leans against the wall, keeping an eye out for an open seat. Lucy follows her lead.

One by one people disappear deeper into the building, chars finally opening for Levy and Lucy. About an hour and a half later, Lucy's called. She smiles at Levy before being escorted down a hall to a small room the hairdresser works in.

'Wait…this is my barber?' Lucy thinks, staring in awe at the large, beer-belled man in front of her. He looks at her expectantly, so she shuffles over to the chair, praying he actually knows what he's doing.

Lucy gasps in fear when scissors start slashing away at her hair. She closes her eyes in fear of losing one, wondering if maybe she should've waited for Cancer after all. But then again, why would this guy be in the salon if he sucked? Maybe he should get the benefit of the doubt-

"Done!" he announces cheerily. Slowly, Lucy opens her eyes.

'Oh my…how in the world?' Lucy stares at her hair in awe, wonder exactly how he pulled it off. She didn't even know it was possible to do that with her hair! Truly he is very gifted at what he does.

Lucy heads out to the front, ignoring all the looks she gets. She stops Levy who's about to go back and drags her out of the salon. Levi's too busy staring at Lucy's new mullet to notice.

"Let's just wait for Cancer next time."


	49. Cages

**Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of doing these, but I really don't want to be a quiter...-_- I think I'm stopping at fifty to work on my other stories.**

**DATE : August 7**  
**THEME : Comfort**  
**SETTING : Pet Shop**  
**CHARACTERS : Wally & Millianna**  
**PROMPT : Embrace**

"Let me go!" Millianna screams, trying to wiggle her way out of the store owner's strong grip. She desperately kicks at him, but his hold doesn't waver as he drags her towards the door. "Let them out! They shouldn't be like that! You need to-hey!"

Wally jumps as the door of the pet shop slams open, a loud crack resounding when the metal knob hits brick. He's shocked when the pissed owner throws a screaming Millianna out of the shop, the door slamming shut behind her. He adds panic to the mix when she starts to cry.

Unsure of what to do, Wally kneels down next to the sobbing girl, carefully putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a one-armed hug. "Don't cry. That's not very dandy.'

Millianna looks up at him, rubbing her hand across her cheeks and sniffing. "But…but…they're…" She burst into more tears, startling Wally. "It's not right! It's just not right!" she wails over and over.

"What isn't?" Wally asks, wondering what could make her so upset.

"The cats…they're in cages." Millianna's face pales, and her body starts to shake. "What if they're mistreated? What if they never get out and are controlled like we were?" Wally pulls her tighter, knowing exactly what she's getting at. "No one should live in a cage! It's wrong! They shouldn't stay in there forever! We need to get them out and-"

"And what?" Wally inquires softly. Millianna falls silent, looking away. "We can't keep them all with us when we're trying to get back on our feet, and we can't let them out to fend for themselves in town. We just have to trust someone like Erza will come for them to get them out. We can't help as we are now. Besides, I don't think that guy's like Jellal. Relax and have some faith in people."

Wally helps her up and leads her back to towards the hotel they managed to pay for. Millianna looks back at the pet shop, slowing down to look through the window. She sighs in relief when she sees the owner feeding them, a small smile on his face as he opens the cage to let them stretch.

Maybe she should try and trust people again after all.


	50. Numb

**Disclaimer: Made it to fifty. I'm timing out! I really need to work on my other stuff.**

**DATE : August 8**  
**THEME : Family**  
**SETTING : Tower of Heaven**  
**CHARACTERS : Shou & Erza**  
**PROMPT : Numbness**

Shou can't move, numb with exhaustion. His whole body is dead weight on the ground, throbbing in pain with the steady beat of his heart. Even blinking feels like a chore, so he just leaves his eyes shut. What does it matter now? His work is done for the day. Now all he wants to do is slip into unconsciousness, maybe death.

Guards laugh at Shou's state, uncaring about the weak glares the other prisoners in the cell send at them. Shou could care less, already half-asleep on the dirt floor. Even the cold draft doesn't get through to his mind on his numbed state.

"You need to get up." Shou ignores the demanding female voice. "Hey!" He's nudged sharply in his side, making him stir. "You need to move. If you fall asleep in the air, there's a chance you'll get a cold. Who knows what'll happen if you can't work."

Shou cracks an eye open, too exhausted to peer up to see the speaker. Instead, he stares at the small feet in confusion. The speaker is a kid? She doesn't sound like one!

"Come on!" she probes, shaking him with her foot again. "You need to at least get to your bed."

"Don't have one," Shou mutters. It was stolen last week. His eye slips closed again, darkness taking over. He barely registers that someone is picking his upper body off the ground and dragging him. Shou doesn't even feel the pain as his skin catches on rough stone.

Erza places Shou on her bedding, crawling in next to him before covering him with a blanket. Shou shifts towards the sudden warmth, the heat reliving some of his numbness.

"You can sleep with me until we find you more blankets," Erza whispers, slowly drifting off to sleep. She offers Shou a dazed smile before closing her eyes.

Shou stares at her, gratitude soaring through him before he follows her into sleep.

The next day, when Erza helps him out of bed and offers happy chatter despite the situation, Shou notices he's not so numb anymore.


End file.
